Kanye West fears paparazzi drones could electrocute his daughter

"Wouldn't you like to just teach your daughter how to swim without a drone flying?"

Published August 7, 2014 3:09PM (EDT)

      (Reuters/Andrew Innerarity)
(Reuters/Andrew Innerarity)

Kanye West not only has a strong distaste for paparazzi -- a scuffle with a photog last summer left West charged with two misdemeanors, and two years probation -- he also fears what will happen when they get their hands on the latest technology. Specifically, the rapper worries about drones.

A transcript from an earlier deposition was obtained by TMZ. In it the rapper apparently slams lawyer Nate Goldberg for quoting the N-word, and voiced his fears that his daughter might be electrocuted by a drone while swimming.

"Is your daughter stalked by like drones?" Kanye asks, according to TMZ. "Are there drones flying where she's trying to learn how to swim at age 1?

"Wouldn't you like to just teach your daughter how to swim without a drone flying?" Kanye continued. "What happens if a drone falls right next to her?  Would it electrocute her?

"Could it fall and hit her if that paparazzi doesn't understand how to remote control the drone over their house?"

Though West's rant was not quite pertinent to his case (no drones were involved), he does bring up important questions regarding the new technology: safety and privacy.

Drones are the latest tool employed by photographers; there's even a new trend of using the copters to shoot weddings. The use of drones for business purposes is currently prohibited -- depending on where you live, and with a few FAA exceptions -- and recreational use of drones has strict FAA guidelines. However, the legality is still murky, and according to the Verge, there are no specific legal guidelines regarding privacy.

h/t Pitchfork


By Sarah Gray

Sarah Gray is an assistant editor at Salon, focusing on innovation. Follow @sarahhhgray or email sgray@salon.com.

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Celebrities Drones Kanye West North West Paparazzi Technology