Standardswebsite Keeper

Complaints to Ad Standards submitted by the public about advertising that allegedly does not comply with the Code are reviewed and adjudicated by one of two Councils: (1) the Standards Council, which includes representatives from Western Canada, Central Canada, and Atlantic Canada, or, (2) in Quebec, by le Conseil des normes. Councils are independent bodies of senior industry and public representatives that are supported and coordinated by, but altogether independent from, Ad Standards.  Advertising complaints between advertisers, based on the Code, are administered under Ad Standards’ Advertising Dispute Procedure.

Read on for a (mostly) unbiased look at the best counter-drone and counter-UAS technology, including a helpful breakdown of the pros and cons of each solution. We’ve even provided links to vendors for you. Now, that's helpful!

We work with several companies all over the world who integrate our radars into modular counter-drone systems, so you don’t have to. This solves the headache of dealing with multiple vendors and means you don’t need to integrate different hardware and software solutions.

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A high-powered optical device which produces an extremely focused beam of light, or laser beam. The laser destroys the drone's structure and/or electronics.

Products prohibited from sale to minors must not be advertised in such a way as to appeal particularly to persons under legal age, and people featured in advertisements for such products must be, and clearly seen to be, adults under the law.

Canadians are entitled to expect that "political advertising" and "election advertising" will respect the standards articulated in the Code. However, it is not intended that the Code govern or restrict the free expression of public opinion or ideas through "political advertising" or "election advertising", which are excluded from the application of this Code.

To help you meet these challenges head-on, we've written this overview of the counter-drone technology you can buy today. You might also know it as anti-drone or counter-UAS (C-UAS) technology.

No advertisement shall offer a guarantee or warranty, unless the guarantee or warranty is fully explained as to conditions and limits and the name of the guarantor or warrantor is provided, or it is indicated where such information may be obtained.

This rudimentary but effective counter-UAS technology involves using a net to stop the drone by prohibiting the rotor blades. There are three main delivery methods:

Well, that’d be us then! But we should probably point out here that our own Drone Detection Radar, IRIS, isn't like standard radars.

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(b) Advertisements must not omit relevant information if the omission results in an advertisement that is deceptive or misleading.

The provisions of the Code should be adhered to both in letter and in spirit. Advertisers and their representatives must substantiate their advertised claims promptly when requested to do so by Council.

It’s more than likely that the best counter-drone solution for you is going to be a mix of the above technologies. Which mix exactly? Well, that’s going to be dependent on your specific use case.

The EMP interferes with radio links and disrupts or even destroys the electronic circuitry inside drones (plus any other electronic device within range) due to the damaging voltage and currents it creates.

Note: Ad Standards discontinued the Special Interest Group Complaint Procedure in April 2019, in recognition of the sophistication of many public interest advocacy groups and marketing boards as advertisers in their own right.  Where a complaint about an advertisement is submitted by, or on behalf of, an entity that represents one or more other individuals or entities, and that entity or its members are “advertisers” as defined under the Code, the complaint will be administered under Ad Standards’ Advertising Dispute Procedure.  Complaints about an advertisement that are submitted by individuals, or a group of individuals, who are not “advertisers” will be administered under the Consumer Complaint Procedure.

Excluded from the terms “advertising” and “advertisement(s)” (as defined in this Code) are messages from an “entity” that/who has no “material connection” with the entity that makes, distributes, markets or advertises the product or service featured in the advertising or advertisement(s).

(b) Where price discounts are offered, qualifying statements such as "up to", "XX off", etc., must be in easily readable type, in close proximity to the prices quoted and, where practical, legitimate regular prices must be included.

“Advertiser” is defined as an “entity” that engages in “advertising” and has, or shares with one or more other entities, the final authority over the content of “advertising” or an “advertisement”.

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Advertising that is directed to children must not exploit their credulity, lack of experience or their sense of loyalty, and must not present information or illustrations that might result in their physical, emotional or moral harm.

(d) Disclaimers and asterisked or footnoted information must not contradict more prominent aspects of the message and should be located and presented in such a manner as to be clearly legible and/or audible.

(a) No advertisement shall include deceptive price claims or discounts, unrealistic price comparisons or exaggerated claims as to worth or value. "Regular Price", "Suggested Retail Price", "Manufacturer’s List Price" and "Fair Market Value" are deceptive terms when used by an advertiser to indicate a savings, unless they represent prices at which, in the market place where the advertisement appears, the advertiser actually sold a substantial volume of the advertised product or service within a reasonable period of time (such as six months) immediately before or after making the representation in the advertisement; or offered the product or service for sale in good faith for a substantial period of time (such as six months) immediately before or after making the representation in the advertisement.

For starters, we built IRIS specifically to track drones. Featuring 360-degree azimuth and 60-degree elevation coverage, IRIS provides early warning of approaching drones from any direction, in full 3D.

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(f) The advertiser must be clearly identified in the advertisement, excepting the advertiser of a “teaser advertisement” as that term is defined in the Code.

"Political advertising" is defined as "advertising" appearing at any time regarding a political figure, a political party, a government or political policy or issue publicly recognized to exist in Canada or elsewhere, or an electoral candidate.

Good examples of counter-drone C2 systems are ESG’s ELYSION, Dedrone's DedroneTracker.AI, and Operational Solutions’ FACE.

Some systems can identify the more common drone makes and models, while others can even identify the MAC addresses of the drone and controller (if the drone uses Wi-Fi for communication). This is especially useful for prosecution purposes – proving that a particular drone and controller were active at a certain time and location.

(d) undermine human dignity; or display obvious indifference to, or encourage, gratuitously and without merit, conduct or attitudes that offend the standards of public decency prevailing among a significant segment of the population.

“Teaser Advertisement” is defined as an advertisement that generally reveals little about the product(s), service(s), event(s) or advertiser hinted at in the advertisement, the objective of which is to stimulate curiosity about and interest in the advertiser, product(s), service(s) or event(s).

Some high-end systems can also triangulate the drone and its controller when using multiple radio units spread far apart.

It is recognized that advertisements may be distasteful without necessarily conflicting with the provisions of this Clause 14; and the fact that a particular product or service may be offensive to some people is not sufficient grounds for objecting to an advertisement for that product or service.

Not all equipment performs all the above functionality at the same time. For example, detection means the counter-UAS technology can simply detect that something is there. But detection alone isn’t enough.

Testimonials, endorsements or other representations of opinion or preference, must reflect the genuine, reasonably current opinion of the individual(s), group or organization making such representations, and must be based upon adequate information about or experience with the identified product or service and must not otherwise be deceptive.

A device that uses radio energy to detect an object. Drone detection radar or counter-UAS radar sends out a signal and uses the reflection as it bounces off an object to measure its direction and distance (position).

Advertisements must not, unfairly, discredit, disparage or attack one or more products, services, advertisements, companies or entities, or exaggerate the nature or importance of competitive differences.

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Counter-drone technology encompasses a wide range of solutions that allow you to detect, classify, and mitigate drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. This includes everything from camera systems and specialist drone detection radar to net guns and cyber takeover systems. This is also known as counter-UAS technology because drones are a type of unmanned aerial system.

Advertisements must not without reason, justifiable on educational or social grounds, display a disregard for safety by depicting situations that might reasonably be interpreted as encouraging unsafe or dangerous practices, or acts.

GPS spoofers send a new signal to the target drones, replacing the communication signal it uses to navigate. In this way, it spoofs the drone into thinking it’s somewhere else.

(a) Advertisements must not contain, or directly or by implication make, inaccurate, deceptive or otherwise misleading claims, statements, illustrations or representations.

The continued growth of the consumer drone market presents new challenges for the aviation industry. Whether it's a careless amateur pilot or a deliberate attack, the drone threat comes in many shapes and sizes.

"Election advertising" includes "advertising" about any matter before the electorate for a referendum, "government advertising" and "political advertising", any of which advertising is communicated to the public within a time-frame that starts the day after a vote is called and ends the day after the vote is held. In this definition, a "vote" is deemed to have been called when the applicable writ is issued.

This isn't the whole story, of course. And while data interoperability is a pre-requisite, don't underestimate the importance of other C2 functions like data fusion, workflow management, and decision support.

Child-directed advertising in the broadcast media is separately regulated by the Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children, also administered by Ad Standards. Advertising to children in Quebec is prohibited by the Quebec Consumer Protection Act.

Micro-doppler radar detects speed differences within moving objects. For example, a drone's rotor. This enables IRIS to distinguish between drones and other small, fast-moving objects, like birds, reducing false alarms. It can also detect autonomous and hovering drones and track multiple targets simultaneously.

Advertisements must not distort the true meaning of statements made by professionals or scientific authorities. Advertising claims must not imply that they have a scientific basis that they do not truly possess. Any scientific, professional or authoritative claims or statements must be applicable to the Canadian context, unless otherwise clearly stated.

"Government advertising" is defined as "advertising" by any part of local, provincial or federal governments, or concerning policies, practices or programs of such governments, as distinct from "political advertising" and "election advertising".

This type of counter-UAS technology involves using a microphone or microphone array (lots of microphones) to detect the sound made by a drone and calculate its direction. Use multiple microphone arrays for rough triangulation.

By dynamically altering the GPS coordinates in real-time, the spoofer can control the drone’s position. Once the spoofer gains control, they can direct the drone to a ‘safe zone’, for example.

Being alerted that a drone is present somewhere in the vicinity is already useful. But your situational awareness and ability to deploy countermeasures are greatly enhanced if you know the drone’s (and/or the controller’s) exact location. Some counter-UAS technology even allows you to track the drone's location in real-time.

Talking about software, command and control (C2) software can make or break your counter-drone system. You must collect, process, and display data from all those different sensors and technologies in an actionable, user-friendly way.

(e) All advertising claims and representations must be supported by competent and reliable evidence, which the advertiser will disclose to Ad Standards upon its request. If the support on which an advertised claim or representation depends is test or survey data, such data must be reasonably competent and reliable, reflecting accepted principles of research design and execution that characterize the current state of the art. At the same time, however, such research should be economically and technically feasible, with regard to the various costs of doing business.

This is a static, mobile, or handheld device that transmits a large amount of RF energy towards the drone, masking the controller signal. This results in one of four scenarios, depending on the drone:

“Material connection” is defined as any connection between an entity providing a product or service and an endorser, reviewer, influencer or person making a representation that may affect the weight or credibility of the representation, and includes: benefits and incentives, such as monetary or other compensation, free products with or without any conditions attached, discounts, gifts, contest and sweepstakes entries, and any employment relationship, but excludes nominal consideration for the legal right to identify publicly the person making the representation.

RF Analysers consist of one or more antennas to receive radio waves and a processor to analyse the RF spectrum. They’re used to detect radio communication between a drone and its controller.

(b) appear in a realistic manner to exploit, condone or incite violence; nor appear to condone, or directly encourage, bullying; nor directly encourage, or exhibit obvious indifference to, unlawful behaviour;

(c) demean, denigrate or disparage one or more identifiable persons, group of persons, firms, organizations, industrial or commercial activities, professions, entities, products or services, or attempt to bring it or them into public contempt or ridicule;

It’s important to note that although the technology is available, current regulations in most countries forbid the use of any of the following drone countermeasures to neutralize drones. Exceptions are sometimes made for military or law enforcement agencies.

The authority of the Code applies only to the content of advertisements and does not prohibit the promotion of legal products or services or their portrayal in circumstances of normal use. The context and content of the advertisement and the audience actually, or likely to be, or intended to be, reached by the advertisement, and the medium/media used to deliver the advertisement, are relevant factors in assessing its conformity with the Code. In the matter of consumer complaints, Council will be encouraged to refer, when in its judgment it would be helpful and appropriate to do so, to the principles expressed in the Gender Portrayal Guidelines respecting the representations of women and men in advertisements.

Optical sensors collect light at a range of wavelengths, including visible and infrared, as well as thermal radiation, to detect drones day and night. Recent advances in optical sensor technology have improved resolution (and thereby range) and processing power in the form of AI-powered detection, tracking, and classification.

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However, GPS spoofers can inadvertently disrupt other systems beyond the target drone. Because of the risks, GPS spoofers are primarily used as a drone countermeasure on the battlefield. They aren't as common for civilian operations.

The Code may be supplemented from time to time by Interpretation Guidelines that enhance industry and public understanding of the interpretation and application of the Code’s 14 clauses. The Interpretation Guidelines can be found here.

In assessing the truthfulness and accuracy of a message, advertising claim or representation under Clause 1 of the Code the concern is not with the intent of the sender or precise legality of the presentation. Rather the focus is on the message, claim or representation as received or perceived, i.e. the general impression conveyed by the advertisement.

Most radars send their radio signal as a burst, then listen for the "echo". Almost all radars are designed NOT to pick up small targets. They're designed for large object tracking, like passenger aircraft. However, specialist counter-UAS technology includes radar that tracks smaller objects, like drones, with ease.

The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (“Code”) was developed to promote the professional practice of advertising, and was first published in 1963. It is reviewed and revised periodically to keep it contemporary. The Code is administered by Advertising Standards Canada (Ad Standards). Ad Standards is the industry body committed to creating and maintaining community confidence in advertising.

Drone monitoring equipment can be passive (simply looking or listening) or active (emitting a signal and analysing what comes back) and can perform several functions:

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(a) condone any form of personal discrimination, including discrimination based upon race, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation, age or disability;

No advertiser shall imitate the copy, slogans or illustrations of another advertiser in such a manner as to mislead the consumer.

That's why classification is useful. Technology that separates drones from other types of objects – like birds and planes, for example.

The Code is broadly supported by industry and is designed to help set and maintain standards of honesty, truth, accuracy, fairness and propriety in advertising.

We focus on the latest countermeasures. So, if you need to implement (or are thinking about implementing) a counter-drone solution, then this is the resource for you.

One step further is identification. Some equipment can identify a particular model of drone, or even identify the drone’s or controller’s digital fingerprint, like a MAC address. This level of identification can be handy for prosecution purposes.

C2 systems vary significantly in terms of capability and cost. The complexity of the connected sensors and effectors, the type of threat, and your budget influence whether you require all the bells and whistles or a more basic system. However, drone defence companies are developing industry standards for C-UAS integration, with SAPIENT's out-of-the-box data integration capabilities at the forefront.

Cyber takeover, or cyber takedown, systems are a relatively new counter-drone technology. They passively detect radio frequency transmissions emitted by drones to identify the drone's serial number and locate the pilot's position using AI. If the operator recognises the drone as a threat, they can send a signal to hack the drone, assume control, and direct it to a safe location.

The Code sets the criteria for acceptable advertising and forms the basis upon which advertising is evaluated in response to consumer complaints and complaints between advertisers. It is widely endorsed by advertisers, advertising agencies, media that exhibit advertising, and suppliers to the advertising process. The Code is not intended to replace the many laws and guidelines designed to regulate advertising in Canada. Nor are the Code’s provisions intended to override any other aspect of Canada’s preclearance and regulatory apparatus. For information about Ad Standards’ preclearance services, click here.

Advertisements must not misrepresent the consumer’s opportunity to purchase the goods and services at the terms presented. If supply of the sale item is limited, or the seller can fulfill only limited demand, this must be clearly stated in the advertisement.

"Advertising" and "advertisement(s)" are defined as any message (other than those excluded from the application of this Code), the content of which message is controlled directly or indirectly by the advertiser expressed in any language and communicated in any medium (except those listed under Exclusions) to Canadians with the intent to influence their choice, opinion or behaviour.