Kanye West Is Worried About Paparazzi Using Drones To Film His Daughter

Kanye West's hatred for the paparazzi is well-documented, but according to TMZ (via The Verge), the Chicago-born rapper said he's worried about photographers stalking his family by air.

He stated his fears during his deposition for a civil lawsuit filed by photographer Daniel Ramos, who sued the hip-hop artist for assault and battery last year over an incident that occurred at LAX that summer.

Here's West in his own words, according to the deposition:

Is your daughter stalked by like drones? Are there drones flying where she's trying to learn how to swim at age 1? … Wouldn't you just like to just teach your daughter how to swim without a drone flying? 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?

West said he planned on selling his $11 million mansion in Bel Air because he and his wife didn't realize paparazzi could view into their home, and thus take pictures, from the street. TMZ reports the Wests are looking into a secluded estate in Hidden Hills, near Calabasas, worth roughly $20 million.

As far as the drones are concerned, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used for commercial purposes are currently prohibited by the federal government - in other words, if you can make money off what the drone films, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will typically come down on you.

But for the most part, drones are fine as long as they aren't used for commercial purposes and they fly lower than 400 feet, keeping a "sufficient distance" from large crowds and aircrafts. The FAA is in charge of monitoring drone use, but it cannot possibly keep track of every drone on every street corner, as it's more concerned with regulating civil aircrafts and airlines.

The FAA will begin issuing the first domestic drone permits starting in September 2015, so Kanye has at least another full year to move to a place where drones can't find him.