[GIS] What countries allow commercial use of drones to collect aerial imagery

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Currently the US government forbids commercial use of drones to collect aerial imagery. The FAA is supposedly reviewing this to determine what sorts of restrictions are needed to allow this to happen while minimizing threats to privacy. From the Denver Post:

Last year, Congress mandated that the Federal Aviation Administration
create a plan for the safe integration of unmanned aerial vehicles
into the national airspace. Those regulations should be complete by
2015, and the agency expects a commercial boom — as many as 30,000
drones airborne in the U.S. by 2020. But public fears about police
spying could stall the technologically advanced industry eager to be
unleashed.

What countries currently allow commercial use of drones to collect aerial imagery?

In these countries, have there been problems with invasion of privacy?

Update

The influential head of Google, Eric Schmidt, has called for civilian
drone technology to be regulated, warning about privacy and security
concerns. – BBC News

Best Answer

UK permits 192 Private Companies [eg EDF], Government Agencies including Police and even the British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC]

In the last two years the CAA has required anyone who wants to fly a small UAV in British airspace to apply for permission. The aircraft must weigh less than 20kg and operators have to abide by certain rules. These include not flying them higher than 122 metres (400ft), or further away from the operator than 500 metres – this is deemed the pilot's "line of sight"

Full List can be viewed here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/25/who-can-fly-drones-uk-airspace

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