Just curious, but why are people so anti Remote I. D.

[AnDronioBanderos]

It's a privacy issue for me. I am not " up to no good ", but at the same time I am not happy about my drones broadcasting an ID like that, whether it is being picked up by anyone or not.

That said, I also realize the following:

a) No one is really actively watching for RID

b) You will be detected whether you have remote ID or not. A friend of mine was flying one of his Potensic Atom drones without remote ID early one weekend morning and neglected to check Air Aware for TFR's. I think he said he flew for maybe 20 minutes over his backyard and the woods behind his house at about 200 feet. He landed, was in the midst of packing things up when a military aircraft with a profile similar to a predator drone ( slender body, extremely wide wingspan, with an engine mounted towards the rear ) approached low and slow from the south, turned towards the east while it was over his property, and than flew off back towards the south. That aircraft was atypical for the area this guy is in, was never seen before and never seen since. He thought it was unusual and afterwards he checked Air Aware and found he was on the very outer perimeter of a presidential TFR. He was so far out from the center he could have driven 5 minutes to the west and had been out of it.

So, with, or without RID " they " will know you have a drone in the air and can probably even link the radio signal from your drone without RID back to your controller and ID you that way if you are using your phone.

Just in relation to your point 'b'

Yep, drones can be detected in seconds by systems like aeroscope which was in use by USA agencies and they possibly have their own version now that, they can't purchase dji products (tongue in cheek comment).

It and other similar systems detect the communications link between the drone and the remote and plots out telemetry and details in seconds for the end user and can cover areas up to and in excess of 50km according to the information available.

There was quite a lot of controversy with allegations that dji provided said systems to Russia during the early stage of the conflict in the Ukraine as consumer drones were being used and in some reported accounts, drone and pilots were obliterated within minutes of deploying their drones. This was before Ukraine managed to source military grade drones from various countries.

So quite possibly that could have happened to your friend.

You are correct, RID isn't needed to locate drones. Although the common misconception is that RID is the only way that this is done.

I am sure there are many more advanced detection systems that we don't even know about.

 

[zocalo]

You are correct, RID isn't needed to locate drones. Although the common misconception is that RID is the only way that this is done.

I am sure there are many more advanced detection systems that we don't even know about.

All correct. It's basic RF - if it's a wireless transmitter or receiver, then it can be detected and the location triangulated (receivers are a bit harder, but they do tend to generate a little RF noise as backscatter). In the case of a drone, obviously both the controller and aircraft are doing both. Military spec stuff that is designed to look for stray emissions from things trying to keep a low RF profile and track it, like stealth aircraft, are not going to have too many problems with a drone.

I don't see RID as a replacement for these systems, or even Aeroscope, so much as a complement for a different set of problems:

* A deterrent / increased effort needed for those who like to push the legal limits where Aeroscope etc. may not be deployed, and evidence capture for those who do it anyway.
* A cheaper local alternative for that horrendously expensive MilSpec gear and where even something like Aeroscope may be a stretch.
* Last mile; generic detectors that don't understand the traffic data and can pull GPS info from it are only going to get you in the ballpark. RID should make it much easier to get a cop's hand on a guilty shoulder when needed.
* Vastly improved local situational awareness for semi/fully autonomous drones (e.g. delivery bots), making the skies much safer for everyone - and especially for those on the ground below!
* A starting point for a fully integrated airspace control system, enabling much wider operating envelopes for drones like BVLOS & increased altitudes with less risk.

And, of course, the real reason:

* Politicians being seen to do something to try and appease all the Karens with a vote that keep writing those annoying letters.

 

[tstr14]

RID concerns me a lot less than having to put a license plate on my car for all the world to see. And that doesn't concern me at all.

 

[mavic3usa]

RID concerns me a lot less than having to put a license plate on my car for all the world to see. And that doesn't concern me at all.

I would be a lot less concerned if RID was more like the license plate on your car but in fact, they are almost nothing alike sadly.

 

[BossBob]

In the UK you already have to put a license plate on your drone. Something else to add to the takeoff weight!

 

[Dbez1]

I admit I didn’t read every post here and apologize if I’m being redundant. I don’t object to the FAA or even local law enforcement being able to identify my drone. What I DON’T like is the general public being able to know the exact spot I’m flying from. There are too many people that don’t like drones (for whatever reason), and are all to willing to try to rid the world of the “evil” drone pilots. It could be a dangerous situation for us!

 

[MS Coast]

There are too many people that don’t like drones (for whatever reason), and are all to willing to try to rid the world of the “evil” drone pilots. It could be a dangerous situation for us!

And yet there's not been a single report here of any problem in the 18 months since RID has been mandatory.

I see far more danger from meteorites and teenagers texting while driving.

Rid the world of drone pilots? Who are these people? The antifly division of antifa?

 

[tstr14]

I admit I didn’t read every post here and apologize if I’m being redundant. I don’t object to the FAA or even local law enforcement being able to identify my drone. What I DON’T like is the general public being able to know the exact spot I’m flying from. There are too many people that don’t like drones (for whatever reason), and are all to willing to try to rid the world of the “evil” drone pilots. It could be a dangerous situation for us!

Splitting hairs here, but RID doesn't give your location, it gives the drone's location. Semantics, I know.

 

[anotherlab]

I admit I didn’t read every post here and apologize if I’m being redundant. I don’t object to the FAA or even local law enforcement being able to identify my drone. What I DON’T like is the general public being able to know the exact spot I’m flying from. There are too many people that don’t like drones (for whatever reason), and are all to willing to try to rid the world of the “evil” drone pilots. It could be a dangerous situation for us!

Since most of us have to fly within the line of sight, it's not terribly difficult to identify the person flying the drone.

Most people don't care, very few people even have an RID app installed. If some person with an agenda is going to track down a drone pilot, they are going to do so with or without the assistance of RD

 

[jvhooser]

Ones that just want to stay out of the public searchable databases.

It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.

Ones that have perfectly good drones that are not equipped with remote ID and don’t want to waste the money to add it since it is pretty much useless.

 

[anotherlab]

Splitting hairs here, but RID doesn't give your location, it gives the drone's location. Semantics, I know.

RID does log the controller's location. It's not semantics; it's literally written in the requirements (in the US).

 

[tstr14]

RID does log the controller's location. It's not semantics; it's literally written in the requirements (in the US).

It doesn't seem to show in the app I have, at least not that I've noticed.

 

[anotherlab]

It doesn't seem to show in the app I have, at least not that I've noticed.

That's more of an issue with the app than the actual requirements required by the FAA.

 

[mavic3usa]

Watch the video:

(not me, not my video)

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[BossBob]

The controller location is also required by the CAA in the UK.
People have likened RID to license plates on cars. That isn’t a good comparison. Here in the UK ordinary people don’t have access to my home address based on the license plate unless they can persuade the authorities to give them the keeper’s address . If I’m flying from home under the new rules published after the ‘consultation’ by the CAA the drone has to broadcast the location of the controller so ANYONE can zero in on my home via an app with not a lot to stop them.

 

[anotherlab]

Watch the video:

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To save time watching the video, Direct Remote ID, the version of RID baked into the drones, does include the controller's location.

Dronetag RIDER is an interesting device. With a list price of 999 €, or about $1170 USD, this is not a consumer device. What it does do is to give organizations like S&R, or a county fair, a way to track RID-enabled drones in a way that can't be done with apps running on phones

 

[tstr14]

The controller location is also required by the CAA in the UK.
People have likened RID to license plates on cars. That isn’t a good comparison. Here in the UK ordinary people don’t have access to my home address based on the license plate in less they can persuade the authorities to give them the keeper’s address . If I’m flying from home under the new rules published after the ‘consultation’ by the CAA the drone has to broadcast the location of the controller so ANYONE can zero in on my home via an app with not a lot to stop them.

Wow, interesting. Maybe we should start a Go Fund me page for a certain member here who keeps posting UFO pics...

 

[BossBob]

Wow, interesting. Maybe we should start a Go Fund me page for a certain member here who keeps posting UFO pics...

Who me? Nah. The last time I was outside at the time some of those pictures were taken my photos looked like this. Nicely stabilised from a camera on a tripod.

 

[pati0furniture]

I think what's most concerning is the amount of people with the "If you're not doing anything wrong, then what you are trying to hide?" mentality.

 

[FCFriedMann]

This is purely curiosity and a genuine question but I have noticed on various Facebook groups, Reddit, etc but especially Facebook groups, that there seems to be a lot of people looking for an option to turn remote ID off on their mini drones?

I have read theories about people claiming criminals could track down drone pilots to steal their drone but if that is the case wouldn't the remote ID help track down the drone once it's flown again?

Or is it simply seen as an invasion of privacy by the authorities against drone users?

Personally I have never given much thought to it and it really does not bother me here as I comply with my local laws and aviation authority.

But I have noticed an increasing amount of questions on groups looking to disable it through hacks. I even saw it on a mini 5 pro group earlier which I thought was exempt one the drone was kept as a C0 but possibly the pilot has it registered in C1 for the altitude but even so, why would he want to fly with RID off if it's against the law?

Thanks.

Personally I have no problem with the concept. Do wish it would tie to Trust Cert or 107. That said, it should be encrypted and accessible only to law enforcement and FAA. I don't need Karen's or criminals (there's a difference somewhere?) rolling up on me out of nowhere especially in the middle of nowhere. It's all software, it should be made an immediate free update to encrypted. Doesn't need to be deep, but enough to discourage abuse.