For Vancouver residents like Conner Galway, drones buzzing around are becoming a common occurrence.
On Sunday August 17th, Galway noticed a drone flying in close proximity to his Vancouver high rise. After the drone did not leave the area for 45 minutes, Galway finally called the police and began filming the drone.
Since May, Vancouver police reported nine other complaints similar to Galway’s run-in with the eye in the sky.
You can check out Galway’s footage here: (It’s a little difficult to see the drone…watch for the moving light).
In the United States, authorities are facing similar issues.
Almost the exact same incident occurred in Seattle this past June.
In May, a hobbyist drone, The DJI Phantom, crashed into the Metropolitan Square building in St. Louis, which sparked an investigation from local police as well as the FBI, who saw this crash as a potential threat.
The drone pilot in St. Louis did come forward to authorities, and no legal action was taken against the man after it was determined that he has no malicious intent.
And in July, New York Police arrested David Beesmer after he was caught unlawfully flying outside a medical facility and filming patients inside. Though the man claimed his intentions were innocent, it highlights the potential privacy issues of a UAV falling into the wrong hands.
However, enforcing repercussions and concrete laws on this infringement of privacy can prove difficult since most drone owners are not easily identified.
The issue with identifying drone owners is becoming a common, and sometimes, a more serious occurrence.
Whether the solution is attaching identification card to drones, or increasing airspace regulations, the need for guidelines is becoming more apparent to authorities.