An expensive privacy lesson

[RoboticTundra]

A family moved on to our lake about a year ago and then recently sold their house. I assumed it was a sudden job transfer but it appears to be drone related.

The husband/father is in to drones and after moving in began posting drone photos and vids of the lake and lakeshore. It sounds like most enjoyed seeing them and beyond a couple of noise complaints there didn't seem any problems. Until a few months ago. In one of his vids he'd apparently gotten a bit of a woman standing nude on a patio (it sounds like from some distance so you could tell she was nude but not really see any details). Her husband wasn't happy about it.

As I understand it a couple of neighbors stopped the husband from doing something stupid and instead a group of them went to visit the family and let them know they were no longer welcome in the community. Not fair to the wife and kids but I understand.

My thoughts:

• Be careful what you shoot
• Be double careful (and check closely) what you post.

 

[KBF]

I guess it depends on local laws but in general I think privacy is only guaranteed inside your home (except for people blatantly peering over your fence or hovering right over you filming) In VA, if I were out on my farm and needed a pee (it happens .... it's my age ) and someone went out of their way to see me doing my thing, I could be arrested and put on the sex offender register. So standing on your patio, naked, on a lake side community where there are surely people and kids out in boats, fishing etc, sounds like she didn't mind people seeing her. Perhaps the husband didn't know about her love of 'nature' ?

 

[StevenBrodsky]

It's hard for me to believe that this guy and his family moved because of this little mishap with what he posted from his drone. If he did move, he would have only done it if it made fiscal sense. No one is moving out of their home over a drone photo if they are going to lose money on the deal.

I ask, why is the title "an expensive privacy lesson? " The Market has been great due to inflation. If he bought several years ago and sold now, he only made a profit, not a loss.

 

[izometric]

Neighbor coming to my door, check.

I was preparing to send my DJI Mini 3 Pro to DJI for a warranty fix/replacement due to jello effect in videos shot in orbit, maximum speed in sport mode.

I lifted the drone above my house and did a full speed orbit at an altitude of about 47 meters. The drone made a ton of noise. I then landed on my patio.

2 minutes later, a neighbor rang my door bell, and furiously started to ask me if I had a drone flying permit. I said yes. He demanded to see it. I said to him that I am under no obligation to show it to him. He said he will call the police. I said that I encourage him to do that, because I am fully legal and I did not break any law. He started to back down when he saw my confidence.

I then explained that I was not filming his property, that according to law the recommendation is to fly at least 25 meters above any property and respect all privacy laws. I eventually showed him my drone pilot licenses and he calmed down even more.

I also asked him where is his house and I promised to never fly over his property. He left happy, feeling that he gained something.

Lesson learnt. Never fly in sport mode in the immediate neighborhood. This mini drone can make a ton of noise when pushed in sport mode. Otherwise it is pretty silent.

I also own a Mavic 3 Classic. This is a big no-no in the neighborhood. It will be detected by my neighbors instantly.

 

[Cafguy]

A family moved on to our lake about a year ago and then recently sold their house. I assumed it was a sudden job transfer but it appears to be drone related.

How was their move Drone related? Is he some sort of new scientist at the local Drone research institute?

In one of his vids he'd apparently gotten a bit of a woman standing nude on a patio (it sounds like from some distance so you could tell she was nude but not really see any details). Her husband wasn't happy about it.

Was this an intentional shot of the women? Did he like make her the subject in a few frames or was she just in the Background? However: I suppose our Hero could have looked a little closer when editing the video.

As I understand it a couple of neighbors stopped the husband from doing something stupid and instead a group of them went to visit the family and let them know they were no longer welcome in the community.

Did they have torches and Pitchforks? Were they chanting" one of us"

Forgive me But even tho Your wonderful Lake town sounds like a bastion of Nature and "Americana" I won't be at the fair this year.

My Thoughts:
RUN

RoboticTundra​

RUN FAR -- RUN FAST!

 

[MotoSavy]

• Be double careful (and check closely) what you post.

Totally agree, be careful what you post. Any of us could accidentally capture something that should not be made public, even if considered be legal.

It's always best to be in good terms with your neighbors.

 

[mavic3usa]

Pretty soon, this home owner would be arrested before he had a chance to move out. In so many places, governments will soon pass various laws that control where you will be able to fly your drone. Laws will range from the minimum height you can fly to whether you can fly with a camera or not to private vs. public property with written consent. The current laws already cover privacy but now that we have drones, we need to make exceptions (according to the government).

Privacy laws are based on the "expectation of privacy" and it can be argued that if you walk out to your porch while naked, you don't expect to be seen by passing cars, next door neighbor, commercial aircraft flying by, etc. That will change now that there are drones so the new "drone laws" will need to make an exception and prohibit this. Take a video of someone naked on their porch will one day get you arrested because there are just way too many people who agree with this rather than disagree with it.

Once you go down this rabbit hole, the rest follows. Restrictions on flying at night, near high rise buildings, hovering, special locations/settings such as pools, beach, outdoor dining areas....everywhere becomes a place where people expect privacy which is confused with peace and quiet or unreasonable paranoia. Everywhere becomes a sensitive area or critical infrastructure so "no drones." Confidential information is everywhere now (even in public spaces) and can't be captured or seen by the mighty Mavic 3 Pro telescope cameras. The word hasn't fully gotten out about the M3P camera but when it does.....

 

[MS Coast]

Pretty soon, this home owner would be arrested before he had a chance to move out. In so many places, governments will soon pass various laws that control where you will be able to fly your drone. Laws will range from the minimum height you can fly to whether you can fly with a camera or not to private vs. public property with written consent.

More speculation and imagined future events.

 

[DARKSeifer]

I always use a pseudonym and custom email on everything drone related, mainly because over regulation. I also never specify the use of a drone on the invoice I send to my photography clients, just say "aerial perspective pics", which could be done from a stick, a balloon, a cablecam, from the top of a building, etc.

 

[MS Coast]

just say "aerial perspective pics",

Hmm. Who would ever guess that had anything to do with drones?

Might using a pseudonym for billing and income run into some issues with the Agencia Tributaria? (Spanish internal revenue agency)

 

[Aerophile]

So much nonsense, manufactured drama and BS in this thread.

Calm down, be reasonable. If others aren't reasonable, don't try to "fix them." Follow the rules and stop freaking out over nothing. Life is too short for all the crazy.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

Neighbor coming to my door, check.

I was preparing to send my DJI Mini 3 Pro to DJI for a warranty fix/replacement due to jello effect in videos shot in orbit, maximum speed in sport mode.

I lifted the drone above my house and did a full speed orbit at an altitude of about 47 meters. The drone made a ton of noise. I then landed on my patio.

2 minutes later, a neighbor rang my door bell, and furiously started to ask me if I had a drone flying permit. I said yes. He demanded to see it. I said to him that I am under no obligation to show it to him. He said he will call the police. I said that I encourage him to do that, because I am fully legal and I did not break any law. He started to back down when he saw my confidence.

I then explained that I was not filming his property, that according to law the recommendation is to fly at least 25 meters above any property and respect all privacy laws. I eventually showed him my drone pilot licenses and he calmed down even more.

I also asked him where is his house and I promised to never fly over his property. He left happy, feeling that he gained something.

Lesson learnt. Never fly in sport mode in the immediate neighborhood. This mini drone can make a ton of noise when pushed in sport mode. Otherwise it is pretty silent.

I also own a Mavic 3 Classic. This is a big no-no in the neighborhood. It will be detected by my neighbors instantly.

LOL. While flying a MAV3E, I had a neighbor who lived a street over drive down my street looking for the pilot of the drone I was flying. It was at night. I was on my balcony. I guess he noticed the glow from my RC screen on my face and started a mildly hostile conversation with me from his car, until i said my drone doesn't have night vision. I can't see anything on the ground. He said I was flying my drone above his house for 3 minutes or more. He calmed down quickly though . He just wanted to find out who was flying the drone and why. I told him I didn't realize I was over his house for 3 minutes. Who knows maybe I was,. I think I flew my drone up to 120ft and started looking around the neighborhood by hovering and rotating the drone to get my bearings and to determine which way to fly next. I guess I took too long for him. The biggest thing that calmed him down was when I said, I hovered because I thought I saw something suspicious going on down his street. He liked that answer the most.

Iv'e been laying low for the time being, not flying at night too much and certainly not hovering in my neighborhood. Sometimes though I can't sleep and fly at night but wait until after 2 am when no one is awake. I fly to 250ft and zoom out of the neighborhood in sport mode. They may see and hear the drone , but they know it's not spying on them because it's moving too fast.

 

[DARKSeifer]

Hmm. Who would ever guess that had anything to do with drones?

Might using a pseudonym for billing and income run into some issues with the Agencia Tributaria? (Spanish internal revenue agency)

Do I really have to clarify the pseudonym is just for the internet/social networks?

 

[SmilingOgre]

She's running around naked outside and he's confronting people who see her......... Hmmmmmm..... Good neighbors to stay away from. I would gladly keep my drone and myself a good distance from them. I surely wouldn't post the event on social media. Let me know where this neighborhood is. I won't go there, lol. The whole mess sounds like the latest episode of dumb and dumber.

 

[zeker]

some neighbours being nekkid.. would scare my drone.

 

[MS Coast]

Do I really have to clarify the pseudonym is just for the internet/social networks?

Since you said, "I always use a pseudonym and custom email on everything drone related,..." you probably do need to clarify.

 

[Kuiper Denizen]

Sounds like there’s a need for a refresher course in F.A.A. jurisdiction.

Maybe it’s I who is misinformed, but only the F.A.A. has control over the airspace. Local authorities have none, including the much lauded and much hated homeowners associations, depending on whether yours is telling you or your neighbor what to do.

Legal drone flying means, among other things, flying only in airspace the F.A.A. has no restrictions on!

If one is flying over the neighborhood in Class G airspace looking at private property and homes, no law is being broken. The “offended” property/homeowner can complain to local law enforcement, but there would have to be a reasonable and provable case of harassment and/or voyeurism.

The same would be true for someone driving down the street looking through binoculars. That, in itself, isn’t illegal! There’s nothing wrong in birdwatching!

If an objecting homeowner decides to interfere with a legally operated drone, he/she is breaking a federal law. If one decides to shoot it down, not only is a federal offense being committed, but probably a raft of local laws over illegally discharging a firearm in the process.

I don’t live in a housing development, but do take into account how much all of us prize our privacy. If I were approached by an angry, aggressive person over my flying, I'd tell that person that if he/she would like to step back and try a more respectful tone I’d be happy to discuss the issue after I land.

There is no reason any of us, flying within F.A.A. restrictions and regulations, should be put on the defensive or feel a need to react defensively to rude behavior.

I’d be sure to smile and behave politely. From most of these reports it seems most objectors are disarmed rather quickly.

I particularly like “I was investgating suspicious activity”!

Nothing beats sounding like part of the xenophobic Neighborhood Watch crew!!

(There may actually be a local law against exhibitionists!!)

 

[orionshooter]

More speculation and imagined future events.

And don’t forget doom and gloom.

 

[orionshooter]

LOL. While flying a MAV3E, I had a neighbor who lived a street over drive down my street looking for the pilot of the drone I was flying. It was at night. I was on my balcony. I guess he noticed the glow from my RC screen on my face and started a mildly hostile conversation with me from his car, until i said my drone doesn't have night vision. I can't see anything on the ground. He said I was flying my drone above his house for 3 minutes or more. He calmed down quickly though . He just wanted to find out who was flying the drone and why. I told him I didn't realize I was over his house for 3 minutes. Who knows maybe I was,. I think I flew my drone up to 120ft and started looking around the neighborhood by hovering and rotating the drone to get my bearings and to determine which way to fly next. I guess I took too long for him. The biggest thing that calmed him down was when I said, I hovered because I thought I saw something suspicious going on down his street. He liked that answer the most.

Iv'e been laying low for the time being, not flying at night too much and certainly not hovering in my neighborhood. Sometimes though I can't sleep and fly at night but wait until after 2 am when no one is awake. I fly to 250ft and zoom out of the neighborhood in sport mode. They may see and hear the drone , but they know it's not spying on them because it's moving too fast.

My standard reply is that I’m searching for a missing pup who just ran off. Works EVERY single time.

 

[RangerEd]

So he posted a picture or video with the naked woman in it? It doesn't make sense for him to do that.