It is not an inherently dangerous undertaking, just one that needs some forethought and application of common sense (both of which explain the majority of accidents related to this activity!). It is very convenient that the Anchorage FSDO provide external load guidelines.
There's no way our CAA would ever allow this.
It's interesting, though, that you can still do this stuff in the country which is the home of the liability lawsuit. e.g. I read that the 'unofficial' weather in Alaska has had to be withdrawn for liability reasons. Still, enjoy it while it lasts! It's fantastic.
QDM