How to balance privacy and access ?

[RoboticTundra]

And what about the neighbors with a two story house? If you really want privacy take it indoors. A drone should not be treated any differently than a cell phone or handheld camera. I would personally not subject my neighbors to seeing me bath in my backyard. Some things just can’t be unseen.

As I stated above a phone or handheld camera is on the ground and a simple hedge or fence is generally enough to provide privacy.

A second story can be an issue (and I've encountered a couple of three story neighbors as well). As I stated above these can often be dealt with by planting a tree or tall bush to provide adequate privacy. One solution was a sunken patio plus a berm plus bushes along the top. It looks great, provides sufficient privacy from neighbors and is quite comfortable to enjoy.

Some people will also choose a home specifically for privacy. So neighbors farther way or neighboring homes limited to single story or terrain that provides privacy.

 

[The Fat Controller]

Doorbell cameras, home security cameras, dashcams, mobile phones and CCTV are everywhere and yet it only seems to be drones that induce near-paranoia in people about their privacy being invaded.

 

[SethB]

I appreciate that it is a truth known to drone pilots that some people see a drone in the sky and imagine that some perv/criminal is spying on them.

I also have a lot of sympathy for the sauna user who loses a sense of safety and privacy because a drone *is actually* in their space. There are laws in my state about reasonable expectation of privacy, (like in a fenced or otherwise private back yard), and they do apply to drones as to people trespassing with cell phones or using periscopes to peer over fences, etc.

I say if a real privacy violation is against the law call the cops. Yes, we have the drone hysterics to contend with, but that shouldn’t blind us to others who do indeed have a right to and deserve their privacy. I respect that, and I too expect privacy in my back yard.

 

[RoboticTundra]

Doorbell cameras, home security cameras, dashcams, mobile phones and CCTV are everywhere and yet it only seems to be drones that induce near-paranoia in people about their privacy being invaded.

Do you really not understand the difference in those and a drone?

 

[The Fat Controller]

Do you really not understand the difference in those and a drone?

You're being recorded virtually all the time anyway, so other than the fact that a drone requires an actual person to operate the controller and therefore allows you to blame someone for 'spying' on you, there is no difference.

 

[DoomMeister]

Do you really not understand the difference in those and a drone?

My home in Florida has a walled courtyard and from the street or next door you would need something to stand on to see over it. That being the case I still would not go out sans attire. There is enough low altitude air traffic with private aircraft and helicopters (both police and medical) that an expectation of privacy is out of the question. I would need to install a pergola or awning of some type to expect privacy from something airborne.

I don’t expect that drone delivery services are going to avoid flying over backyards and I can guarantee their flights are going to be recording video for legal reasons.

 

[RoboticTundra]

My home in Florida has a walled courtyard and from the street or next door you would need something to stand on to see over it. That being the case I still would not go out sans attire. There is enough low altitude air traffic with private aircraft and helicopters (both police and medical) that an expectation of privacy is out of the question. I would need to install a pergola or awning of some type to expect privacy from something airborne.

I don’t expect that drone delivery services are going to avoid flying over backyards and I can guarantee their flights are going to be recording video for legal reasons.

Good points. I think you likely have a lot more air traffic than most. In querying people about this only one other person had much of an issue w/ regular air traffic and they lived near a small plane airport. Otherwise it's not an issue. Aircraft are either too far away to be a reasonable threat (until highly stabilized 8000mm lenses are affordable) or those close enough are exceedingly rare.

The only threat we encounter is a float plane that lands occasionally. We can easily hear him before he's in VLOS of us. So maybe once every 3 years someone goes inside for 30 seconds. Someone else has military helicopters fly over frequently but they are only a threat (coincide w/ when they'd be outside) about once per year and said "We can feel them coming before we hear them".

$$$'s create a bit of a natural barrier as planes and helicopters are expensive for every second of operation. Planes are only a threat for a few seconds thanks to physics. Both are loud enough that they can't sneak up on you - you know they're coming before they're any kind of threat.

Delivery services and other commercial utility flights can be more easily controlled through regulation as violating regulations can harm their business. They should be able to have the video capability they need for flight or legal bits while at the same time blocking out any that would be considered an invasion of privacy. The latter can be accomplished with; where a camera looks when, use of lower rez in some situations (high enough for what they need, low enough to prevent/lessen IOP), defocusing in some situations, strict control of who has access to video feeds, etc.

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How can I/we continue to fly for recreation or lower end commercial (real estate photos, etc.) while ensuring the general public that their privacy is secure?