Amid privacy backlash...

[SpinItUp]

theverge.com

Edit; be aware, be very WiFi Aware

 

[old man mavic]

sounds like fun what will they do with the info they collect we will have to start a new forum called drone spotters are us with prizes for those that spot the most unbelievable

 

[AMann]

I’m all for it, just like HAM radio users have to announce their presence. Besides putting planes and the general public at risk, this may stop the idiots who put our hobby and for some, drone jobs at risk.There are going to be haters though, because drones are protected by some unknown amendment and shouldn’t be regulated

 

[AMann]

sounds like fun what will they do with the info they collect we will have to start a new forum called drone spotters are us with prizes for those that spot the most unbelievable

Drone Wall of Fame? Or Shame??

 

[dawgpilot]

I'm totally against the idea. I think we are are going to have a high level of nutcases calling in false reports simply because they saw a drone flying near them. I stay within the rules, and always try to be a courteous drone operator but that won't protect me from being put into a situation where I have to prove my innocence to the authorities after a (false) complaint is received.

The ham radio example AMann mentions is actually a good reason why too. I also am a licensed ham radio operator and we have a ton of (likely unlicensed) psychos on our local repeaters in my city. This has actually made me less interested in being active in the airwaves around here because it's too easy for someone to look me up and show up at my doorstep, harass me in other ways, etc. My significant other talked about getting her ham license too, but once she found out that her address would be published she lost interest.

 

[Meta4]

I don't see a lot of privacy issues there.
According to the article:
DJI said. Using only Wi-Fi, a person could use the app to identify a nearby drone’s identification number, as well as location, altitude, speed, and direction of the drone.
DJI says its app would work on drones within a 1-kilometer (0.62 mile).
The article isn't saying your name and contact details are going to be available.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Must be similar tech as this . . .

Interesting way to remotely detect a drone and if it is filming a specific target.

In the two videos below, researchers used a rather simple way to find out remotely not only if a drone is nearby, but if it filming a specific target. The method simply receives the encrypted signals from a drone and detects changes in the signal pattern based on an input they generate without...

mavicpilots.com

But perhaps without the need for a target trigger (the blinds in the window) ??

 

[dawgpilot]

I don't see a lot of privacy issues there.
According to the article:
DJI said. Using only Wi-Fi, a person could use the app to identify a nearby drone’s identification number, as well as location, altitude, speed, and direction of the drone.
DJI says its app would work on drones within a 1-kilometer (0.62 mile).
The article isn't saying your name and contact details are going to be available.

In theory it would be easy enough to monitor the location constantly and determine where the drone took off or landed from though. The identification number also can be used to file complaints against drone operators, since if it's given to the authorities they'll be able to look up the registration details.

 

[anotherlab]

I'm all for it. We get accused of violating privacy for just flying overhead so we really can't complain about being tracked.

If we didn't have idiots interfering with first responders or flying too close to runways, this wouldn't have ever happened. But that stuff did happen, and if this is what we need to do to be able to fly, so be it.

In that other thread, where a guy said a drone was looking through his window, this DJI app would ended that story. If the drone was too low and too close, there would a log to hand to the police. If the drone was at an appropriate distance, the app would show that too. If you are flying according to the rules, this app protects you.

 

[anotherlab]

In theory it would be easy enough to monitor the location constantly and determine where the drone took off or landed from though. The identification number also can be used to file complaints against drone operators, since if it's given to the authorities they'll be able to look up the registration details.

In theory, but always not in actual practice. Let's say someone was doing something very wrong with his drone. You are at a high school football game and someone flies his drone over the game at 75 ft AGL. You see the drone in the stands, but the operator is 1000 yards away. He flies over and back to his take off point, lands it and takes off in his car. You would not have any realistic expectation of determining where that drone came from or who was operating it.

If someone does files a complaint, they'll need to provide more than just the identification number. You'll need location, speed, heading, and altitude, all of the information collected by this proposed DJI. If DJI does this right, they would need to prove that the log was valid. Otherwise someone could get your ID number and then submit false logs, claiming you were peeking. So we need protection from that scenario.

 

[Meta4]

The identification number also can be used to file complaints against drone operators, since if it's given to the authorities they'll be able to look up the registration details.

The app could not provide your registration details as DJI have no idea of your registration details.
It's only going to provide the drone serial number.
If you were to use this app to complain about somene's drone flying, the authorities would have a hard time tracking the owner of the drone from its serial number.

 

[AMann]

In theory it would be easy enough to monitor the location constantly and determine where the drone took off or landed from though. The identification number also can be used to file complaints against drone operators, since if it's given to the authorities they'll be able to look up the registration details.

I don't see a lot of privacy issues there.
According to the article:
DJI said. Using only Wi-Fi, a person could use the app to identify a nearby drone’s identification number, as well as location, altitude, speed, and direction of the drone.
DJI says its app would work on drones within a 1-kilometer (0.62 mile).
The article isn't saying your name and contact details are going to be available.

That’s what I thought too- it’s like driving down the road and seeing the license plates around you. At least you can have documentation that you weren’t flying if someone calls your number in ( they’ll need a screenshot or file for evidence)

 

[AMann]

In theory it would be easy enough to monitor the location constantly and determine where the drone took off or landed from though. The identification number also can be used to file complaints against drone operators, since if it's given to the authorities they'll be able to look up the registration details.

They won’t go by word-of-mouth, a person will need a screenshot or a record of some sort to make it stick.

 

[anotherlab]

The app could not provide your registration details as DJI have no idea of your registration details.
It's only going to provide the drone serial number.
If you were to use this app to complain about somene's drone flying, the authorities would have a hard time tracking the owner of the drone from its serial number.

Hard, but not impossible. If the NTSB can trace a Phantom 4 back to the operator with just the serial number of one of the motors, they could track who a drone was sold to by the id number.

This is less of an enforcement tool than something to soothe the general public. it's like what @AMann just posted. If someone files a report and the police come knocking, you can prove that your drone has a different ID number.

 

[Chip]

I don't see a lot of privacy issues there.
According to the article:
DJI said. Using only Wi-Fi, a person could use the app to identify a nearby drone’s identification number, as well as location, altitude, speed, and direction of the drone.
DJI says its app would work on drones within a 1-kilometer (0.62 mile).
The article isn't saying your name and contact details are going to be available.

I wonder who gets access to names and addresses of DJI registered owners and under what circumstances? I guess it would be up to DJI?

 

[Chip]

...We get accused of violating privacy for just flying overhead so we really can't complain about being tracked...

Why not? The US Supreme Court ruled that police cannot use a gps tracker to monitor vehicle movements without probable cause and a search warrant.

 

[Meta4]

Why not? The US Supreme Court ruled that police cannot use a gps tracker to monitor vehicle movements without probable cause and a search warrant.

I don't see any suggestion of anyone putting a GPS tracker on your drone and monitoring your flights.

 

[SpinItUp]

Just hope it works both ways so you can see who/where/when has started to monitor the flight/s by means of logging into the app to aid transparency and you can be pinged when using Go4 or whatever so you can see in realtime and not when you've packed everything away thinking alls cool until a knock @ the door from the bizzies or even from the complainant

Sent from my W65_67SC using MavicPilots mobile app

 

[bob8755]

I’m all for it, just like HAM radio users have to announce their presence. Besides putting planes and the general public at risk, this may stop the idiots who put our hobby and for some, drone jobs at risk.There are going to be haters though, because drones are protected by some unknown amendment and shouldn’t be regulated

Thanks for this post. It evokes thoughts and emotions that help my morning coffee wake me up, get my blood flowing and prepare me for another day in paradise. We live in a new world where there is news that is unverifiable, and therefore possibly fake, skewed or reported without taking the tedious step of fact check. Oh, and less I forget, possibly true.

You are totally correct. Our current drone way of life is in jeopardy. As more drones take to the air, awareness will rise. And the haters will hate ever louder and more vicious like they do with every aspect of modern society. I am only another voice in the wind. But, the main things that I can do are to make sure that I am aware of both my legal rights as well as my impact on others and try to imagine what it may be like to be in their shoes. It is never my intention to believe that my rights are more important than anyone else’s. But, neither are they less important.

I believe that I can play any game as long as I know the rules. This forum has been an excellent place to help me become more aware of the rules of the game and has been tremendously helpful in formulating my beliefs and modifying or strengthening my current beliefs.

We live in a country that wrestles with the same complex issues that other countries do. At least we have the freedom to own and fly our drones and we have the right to speak out and defend our right to fly.

 

[anotherlab]

Why not? The US Supreme Court ruled that police cannot use a gps tracker to monitor vehicle movements without probable cause and a search warrant.

In that situation, a specific vehicle is being tracked.

This is more like being able to get the license plate of a car that is illegally parked in a spot reserved for handicapped drivers, which is not considered an unreasonable search.