Putting Drones to the Test Drones will soon take to the skies across the United States in federally approved tests that are meant to clear the way for the commercial use of unmanned aircraft. But before that happens, lawmakers and regulators need to deal with a host of unresolved privacy and safety concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration last week selected six universities and government agencies to test civilian versions of drone aircraft, which are best known for their use by the military and the Central Intelligence Agency to kill suspected terrorists in places like Pakistan and Yemen. The tests are meant to help the F.A.A. integrate unmanned aerial vehicles, as drones are formally known, into the national airspace by 2015 under a law passed by Congress in 2012. Like many new technologies, drones pose both opportunities and challenges. The aircraft, which can range widely in size from less than a pound to more than 30,000 pounds, can be incredibly useful but also very dangerous. For example, when outfitted with high-resolution cameras they can help businesses monitor remote infrastructure like pipelines and power lines more cheaply and easily than when conventional means like helicopters are used. But drones can just as easily be used by law-enforcement agencies and big corporations to conduct unconstitutional monitoring of individuals or groups of people. Given the National Security Agency's widespread spying and efforts by advertisers and Internet companies to track consumers online, another technology capable of conducting mass surveillance could become a serious threat to privacy. There are also safety issues. Drones operated by inexperienced or unlicensed pilots pose a hazard to people and property in populated areas. While the F.A.A. has wisely added privacy requirements to its test program, the agency is primarily a safety regulator. It is best suited for developing the kinds of regulations that require the makers of drones to endow their machines with the ability to sense potential collisions and to avoid them. The F.A.A. is also well placed to determine which kinds of drones are best for specific locations. For example, the agency should make clear that most drones will not be allowed to fly at low altitudes through residential neighborhoods, where they would pose a much greater danger than they would in rural areas. Current F.A.A. regulations require police departments and other domestic agencies to fly drones at altitudes below 400 feet to keep them away from commercial planes, and only during daylight hours. As drone technology improves and becomes more affordable - some drones outfitted with cameras for shooting high-definition video and still photographs are already selling for as little as $300 - unmanned aircraft will undoubtedly become more common. Some state legislatures have passed laws restricting drone surveillance, including requiring a probable cause warrant for law enforcement to use drones to gather evidence. Congress should enact similar safeguards. Lawmakers should also outline how long data collected by drones operated by law enforcement and private businesses can be stored and what it can be used for.