Is the following an invasion of Privacy?
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A point has been made by another that I think has been overlooked :
Annoyance factor.
The sound our Phantoms make is not the most pleasant and requires quite a distance or height to bring it down to quiet level.
My Mother hated the sound of Strimmers .... you know those grass cutters using the nylon bits of cord ... and I understood her hatred : Nice summers day and sit out in the garden and someone starts up that row !!
Nigel
Annoyance factor.
The sound our Phantoms make is not the most pleasant and requires quite a distance or height to bring it down to quiet level.
My Mother hated the sound of Strimmers .... you know those grass cutters using the nylon bits of cord ... and I understood her hatred : Nice summers day and sit out in the garden and someone starts up that row !!
Nigel
Do that and you would be the one violating laws more than the person legally flying the drone, regardless of what the offended person believes is violation of privacy.
Maybe if I deliberately targeted the drone... but if I’m legally shooting clay pigeons on my property, and you foolishly fly your drone in the way... we’ll, accidents happen...;p or maybe it was scaring my animals... You usually got rights to protect your livestock from threats that take precedent over other laws, like fish and game rules and the likes...
Or maybe I set off those fireworks that fill the sky over my yard with exploding balls of fire... oops... didn’t see the drone there... my point is, if your going to provoke your neighbors to the point they’re fed up with you, right or wrong your going to end up with headaches and an endless cycle of tit for tat antics that will drive you mad.
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PhantomWetSuits
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I have a bit of a different take on these issues, and its not about privacy, its about the amount of fear < with so many homes be home invaded, crime on the ramp up and those now carrying a gun to the local market we have a different level of fear. FEAR of why , FEAR of I was scared, FEAR of why my house, FEAR of am I about to get caught growing **** in my garden by the FBI. Fear runs rampant once that happens , people just want it to stop and sending flowers, or offering video is not going to change the fact , that you made them scared.
I think sometimes we forget about how FEAR of the unknown affects people , that are more likely to be afraid of the world than you or I can possibly know.
Its nothing to be taken personal. PRIVACY = FEAR = PANIC RESPONSES OF ALL KINDS and calling out Privacy is just the easy way yelling hey I GOT SCARED.
Always consider this may be the fist time in a person life that they are seeing a nasty loud drone outside there home , and think why would anyone want to a video of my house. ?
LIKE IT OR NOT you have to respect the Cowards in life , and there wishes. The best thing to do is just tell them , you are very sorry I scared you,
I think sometimes we forget about how FEAR of the unknown affects people , that are more likely to be afraid of the world than you or I can possibly know.
Its nothing to be taken personal. PRIVACY = FEAR = PANIC RESPONSES OF ALL KINDS and calling out Privacy is just the easy way yelling hey I GOT SCARED.
Always consider this may be the fist time in a person life that they are seeing a nasty loud drone outside there home , and think why would anyone want to a video of my house. ?
LIKE IT OR NOT you have to respect the Cowards in life , and there wishes. The best thing to do is just tell them , you are very sorry I scared you,
I voted No. It was a close call. My reason is that he was barely above the highest point of the property in the video as far as I can tell. I feel the property owner owns the airspace up to the highest point on his property. Above that and it is legal to fly up to 400 feet. If he wants you to fly higher he needs to put his fence up higher. If he installed a 200 foot antenna then his property would extend to that altitude. As for being a good neighbor, I would try my best to stay outside of his property line if at all possible.
The problem is “perception.” You could be flying over another’s property. You could be hovering, but, what is most important is the direction the camera faces. From the ground, many don’t bother or cannot see the camera they look up to the noisy bees and see a white quadcopter and immediately see red.
You may have the camera pointed at the horizon to capture a sunrise/sunset or something else, not even recording or seeing what is below you.
I personally feel our society today overuses “offend/offense.” Anything they don’t like is offensive to them. I don’t believe that to be a proper use of the term. You can dislike something and not be “offended” by it, except in today’s world.
We are not “offended” by the violence on our tv screens watched by children. We are not offended by “songs” that glorify killing of police officers. We are not offended by overpaid sports figures abusive relationships, but we get “offended” at our belief someone is spying on us. They don’t understand that their life isn’t interesting enough for someone to WANT to watch it, just they think you are.
I believe if we get “offended” it should be incumbent upon us to speak (not confront) with the person committing the “offense” and do so with an open mind. Maybe we will learn our life was not spied on.
Nah. It will never happen. Whining crybabies just want to control their world and get upset when they cannot.
That said, beware of where you fly, your altitude when you hover, and those on the ground taking notice.
You may have the camera pointed at the horizon to capture a sunrise/sunset or something else, not even recording or seeing what is below you.
I personally feel our society today overuses “offend/offense.” Anything they don’t like is offensive to them. I don’t believe that to be a proper use of the term. You can dislike something and not be “offended” by it, except in today’s world.
We are not “offended” by the violence on our tv screens watched by children. We are not offended by “songs” that glorify killing of police officers. We are not offended by overpaid sports figures abusive relationships, but we get “offended” at our belief someone is spying on us. They don’t understand that their life isn’t interesting enough for someone to WANT to watch it, just they think you are.
I believe if we get “offended” it should be incumbent upon us to speak (not confront) with the person committing the “offense” and do so with an open mind. Maybe we will learn our life was not spied on.
Nah. It will never happen. Whining crybabies just want to control their world and get upset when they cannot.
That said, beware of where you fly, your altitude when you hover, and those on the ground taking notice.
I try my best to be ethical and legal; so here is the result of my research from numerous sources.
1. There has to be a "reasonable expectation of privacy".
2. The National Airspace System tops out at 50,000 feet and bottoms out just above the grass in your backyard and the roof on your house.
3. The airspace above the dirt that your house sits on is considered a "regulated commons".
4. It is up to the individual to provide for his own privacy.
Examples: Anyplace inside your own home is private. Back yard, without a fence and roof: no expectation of privacy. Female sunbathing in the nude in the yard: Not private. Same thing with a tall fence: private from ground level but NOT from the air. Put a roof over it: private.
Fly over in a satellite, balloon, plane, helicopter, drone; no reasonable expectation of privacy. But land in the grass = trespassing. In flight, the FAA rules the operation and the US Supreme Court demands that the FAA prevails over state and local laws.
Take photos of the outside of a property: not trespassing and no expectation of privacy. Sunbathing female: unless privacy is provided, take all the photos you desire; not trespassing.
All these are legalities but ethics and reason should prevail. Many people are paranoid and unreasonable and demand political correctness. These same people are the type who would kill to enforce their warped views. Personally, I would not carry on a conversation with one of these type individuals, but if the police, who are mostly uninformed, tried to bully me, I would definitely and politely inform them of my rights and if they were not convinced, I would request a conversation with their chief. Of course, civility and ethics should always prevail. I contacted our local police chief in advance, told him of my drone activities and offered to inform him of the applicable laws regarding my activities. Now, he can assume that I know the laws and intend to not be in violation of them .I then flew over his house and took photos of it.
First hand experience: my wife is an artist. She and a fellow artist were photographing and painting a church. The priest demanded that they leave, grabbed their paintings and called the sheriff. NM law states that from a public road or other place, there is no expectation of privacy. They can paint, view and take photos all they want. That priest eventually was removed.
1. There has to be a "reasonable expectation of privacy".
2. The National Airspace System tops out at 50,000 feet and bottoms out just above the grass in your backyard and the roof on your house.
3. The airspace above the dirt that your house sits on is considered a "regulated commons".
4. It is up to the individual to provide for his own privacy.
Examples: Anyplace inside your own home is private. Back yard, without a fence and roof: no expectation of privacy. Female sunbathing in the nude in the yard: Not private. Same thing with a tall fence: private from ground level but NOT from the air. Put a roof over it: private.
Fly over in a satellite, balloon, plane, helicopter, drone; no reasonable expectation of privacy. But land in the grass = trespassing. In flight, the FAA rules the operation and the US Supreme Court demands that the FAA prevails over state and local laws.
Take photos of the outside of a property: not trespassing and no expectation of privacy. Sunbathing female: unless privacy is provided, take all the photos you desire; not trespassing.
All these are legalities but ethics and reason should prevail. Many people are paranoid and unreasonable and demand political correctness. These same people are the type who would kill to enforce their warped views. Personally, I would not carry on a conversation with one of these type individuals, but if the police, who are mostly uninformed, tried to bully me, I would definitely and politely inform them of my rights and if they were not convinced, I would request a conversation with their chief. Of course, civility and ethics should always prevail. I contacted our local police chief in advance, told him of my drone activities and offered to inform him of the applicable laws regarding my activities. Now, he can assume that I know the laws and intend to not be in violation of them .I then flew over his house and took photos of it.
First hand experience: my wife is an artist. She and a fellow artist were photographing and painting a church. The priest demanded that they leave, grabbed their paintings and called the sheriff. NM law states that from a public road or other place, there is no expectation of privacy. They can paint, view and take photos all they want. That priest eventually was removed.
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I have been flying my Mavic Air since late February from my yard. No complaints from anyone. Then one day this anonymous letter was in the mailbox. The Air is a bit loud till it gets to about 30 feet up. If you're flying for about 5 minutes the neighbors will only here a noise for a total of about 45 seconds (timed it). I am not taking pictures of them or their home. I am one of those people who really enjoys the flying aspect of the drone more than the photography part of it. I am not sure if I should suspend all flying till I the new Mavic 2 comes out (should be quieter) or just wait till the neighbors complain more. They are calling my flying a public nuisance. What about planes and helicopters! They are always hosting loud dinner parties on their patio and using their fire pit (smoke so potent I can't open my windows) and I never have complained overt the years. I'll be interested to get opinions.
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Why not make it known that you would like to have a get-together ... maybe a BBQ and let them all see and get to know what they are complaining about ?
Its amazing what happens when a BBQ / Beer is had ... and decent friendly chat ... even if the letter writer themselves do not attend - if many other neighbours do and they decide you are not a problem ... then Letter writer is on his own ... cause I bet he / she has told someone they wrote it !!
Nigel
You sound like someone who shouldn't be playing with guns.
We've been neighbors for 10 years. They could easily said something to me. I only fly the Air a couple of times per week. I believe if I fly they'll have an attorney send a letter to me or call the police and say I was spying on them and the noise is a nuisance.
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Last year I accompanied a pilot my broker contracted with to do aerials of a new listing. I'm licensed & do some of my own on less important properties, this company does a much better job editing.
I usually stand behind the pilot, if OK with him/her, & if I need to point out specifics that the client wants. We're about 5 minutes into the flight when a neighbor runs out raising you know what. She is also a Realtor & one I never expected to complain.
Accused the pilot of flying over her house, we were but camera pointed at the listing house. I kept quiet & let the pilot settle her down. When I got home I sent her an email with the YouTube link
Can you Spy with a Drone. Never heard another word or email reply from her.
A week later the house sold, so wife & I went to pick up the signs. The Realtor neighbor came out & started fussing about the flight. I kept quiet, which is unusual & glad I did, she started with nothing but lies & made up scenarios. I let her go for few minutes, until I couldn't stand it anymore & called her down. Wife told me to shutup & I told if her story was half true I wasn't going to say a thing. BUT with 100% untruth, no way was I gonna be quiet.
She said some anonymous person sent her a nasty email with a link in it. My email address is very distinctive, same as our website & one she has done business with in the past.
The media has people so convinced & paranoid about UAS. Seems the people scared of somebody passing by, so they find the need to make up a story & lie about what actually took place.
Hard to keep my mouth shut & turn the other cheek in these situations. I'm better now, thanks for the chance.
I usually stand behind the pilot, if OK with him/her, & if I need to point out specifics that the client wants. We're about 5 minutes into the flight when a neighbor runs out raising you know what. She is also a Realtor & one I never expected to complain.
Accused the pilot of flying over her house, we were but camera pointed at the listing house. I kept quiet & let the pilot settle her down. When I got home I sent her an email with the YouTube link
A week later the house sold, so wife & I went to pick up the signs. The Realtor neighbor came out & started fussing about the flight. I kept quiet, which is unusual & glad I did, she started with nothing but lies & made up scenarios. I let her go for few minutes, until I couldn't stand it anymore & called her down. Wife told me to shutup & I told if her story was half true I wasn't going to say a thing. BUT with 100% untruth, no way was I gonna be quiet.
She said some anonymous person sent her a nasty email with a link in it. My email address is very distinctive, same as our website & one she has done business with in the past.
The media has people so convinced & paranoid about UAS. Seems the people scared of somebody passing by, so they find the need to make up a story & lie about what actually took place.
Hard to keep my mouth shut & turn the other cheek in these situations. I'm better now, thanks for the chance.
I am sure when the camera was first invented some people claimed invasion of privacy. There is always someone with a gripe.
Almost nobody complains about helicopters spying on your pool for council charges or Google tracking your every move.
Flying over property is not violating privacy nor breaking any laws . though the alt at which you fly over another s property could be cause for alarm in my case minimum 100' above top of house . fly with common since . i had a neighbor come and yell at me once for flying over his property i was well over 100' above his house . he claimed he would call the cops i told him go ahead and to please get off my property as he was trespassing. nothing became of it and still fly around over his property though i don't make it a point to go over his house and hover above . though when i'm filming another adjacent property it's hard not to be over his place . by the way this is out in the country flying . here's a pic of the offending neighbor .
send a like type letter back asking to quite down the orgy type BBQ's and smoke from the back yard fire as it bothers you . seems people need to learn to allow others to enjoy life with out complaining about every little thing . what happens when someone cuts their grass , starts their car or motorcycle , kids out playing and screaming . etc . i would tell the neighbor that flying during respectable hrs will continue
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There is a lot of anti drone paranoia when it is known these things carry cameras sometimes. Don't expect logic to prevail. The cameras don't zoom (usually), are not really that good,and does anyone really want to see what you're hiding/ sunbathing wench/ illicit activity? I see police helos over my place from time to time, and their cameras beat ours into a cocked hat, but no one complains about that. If you can tell me why drones are perceived as a real narky privacy threat and police helicams and street CCTV are not, you win a fine coconut my friend.
The laws vary from state to state and county to county. But generally if you’re in the united stated you need permission to fly over anyone’s home , if you’re under 200 ft. And permission to fly over their property. Doesn’t ,matter if its for a second or 10 minutes. But I would go with the advice that its best to pick your battles. I have a similar problem with 2 neighbors out of 10. I just stay away from those 2!!! Problem solved!!
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