The majority of drones are used for good and legitimate purposes. But despite new recommendations for operating drones appropriately to protect individual privacy, some consumers are concerned that drones may be gathering too much information. Homeowners afraid of being harassed may not know what the laws are for dealing with drones. The now infamous “drone slayer” incident is a case in point – a nervous homeowner who felt that a drone might be watching his family shot it down, spurring an ongoing court case with the drone owner.
The FAA is clear: shooting down or disabling a drone is an illegal – and inappropriate – response. But here’s what you can do if you feel that a drone is spying on you.
- Ask the operator. In the vast majority of cases, any drone you see is simply doing its job or taking generic footage. If you can see the operator, ask: but wait until they’re not in the middle of a flight. Commercial operators are required by law to keep their drone in sight and for safety they need to concentrate on their controllers, so they may not respond to you immediately. That drone you see in your neighborhood is probably nothing to do with you, even if flying at low altitude: the camera may very well be focused on the property for sale next door, or the new construction going on down the street. It’s important to understand the legitimate commercial applications of drones that may be taking place in residential neighborhoods: property inspections, roofing assessments, measurements for solar installations, or real estate photos are all good reasons for drones to be flying low in your area. If you don’t see the operator, look carefully: as mentioned above, responsible operators should be keeping their drone in sight. If you can’t find the operator, and the drone is clearly hovering outside of a window or over your property, you may have a legitimate complaint.
- Check the laws in your area, and define your complaint. Assuming that you really are being stalked or spied on by a person using a drone, its important to define your complaint. Any law being broken probably doesn’t relate to drone law: it relates to existing laws prohibiting harassment or peeping toms. (And if you’re a drone operator, you can read about privacy best practices here.) If it’s the noise that bothers you, check to see if your area has noise ordinances. If you feel that images or video are being taken of you or your family without your permission, check the laws about privacy where you are; they may differ based on whether the harassment occurs at your home where you have a reasonable expectation of privacy or in a public place. Very few areas – like Hollywood – have specific ordinances against the use of a drone for the purpose of taking pictures of people’s property. If you simply don’t like the idea of a drone flying over your property, you may be out of luck: the FAA says that the airspace is regulated by federal authority and the homeowner may not restrict aircraft. Do not ever interfere with a drone flying overhead. You not only cause a safety issue when the drone falls (it could land on a pedestrian or car below) but may also find yourself on the wrong side of the law.
- Document. If you have a drone complaint, be sure to document it carefully at the time that it occurs. Record the exact time and date. Get as much information as you can about the make and model drone, and take pictures if you are able to. If you see a number written on the side of the drone, write it down – both recreational and commercial drones are supposed to be registered. Drones have a short battery life and don’t stick around for long- by the time you call the authorities the drone may very well be gone.
- Call the police and (maybe) report to the FAA. As specified above, most complaints of spying or harassment don’t fall under “drone laws” but relate to the normal laws and ordinances that prevent stalking and peeping toms. The appropriate authorities to deal with complaints are the same whether the perpetrator is using a drone or binoculars: the local police force should be called in. The FAA may be called in if it is determined that the drone was being operated illegally or in an unsafe way to deal with those violations; in general, local law enforcement may ask for their collaboration directly when required.
Almost every drone you see in the sky really is just doing its job, or taking aerial images of wide landscapes in which the people are indistinguishable. A drone flying at significant altitude is taking images in a huge scale; that’s what makes them amazing. But if you do see a drone peeking in your window, understand that it’s the operator – not the drone – that’s at fault.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
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How are you supposed to catch a drone that spying on you when you can’t even see it during the day but you can hear it flying hovering over to you even if I’m an hour and a half away it’s the same drone comes and finds me. How does he do that it can’t be visual on too far away I could be working an hour and a half away and two and a half hours later he shows up or 5 minutes later he shows up. Is there any way they can find my car through my satellite in my car or with my car have a truck or somewhere on it
I leave in hinesville GA and Steve. Sikes here runs drones with Phillip works a sheriff’s office and sniches harrasing using whisper to steal like from all eveidince there my name is Stephen DeJesus 06151984
I have some freak stalking me with a drone everywhere I go
I have neighbors from ****! The boy is about 20 I met him when he was a baby and idk the mom is a sadist or just plain crazy. They have stalked every corner of my life set me up several times. I fell into it once. The thing they like to do now is harass me with their drone usually at night… They say I make their dogs bark when I’m in my garage at night but they kick them when they bark and sometimes kick them when they want them to shut up but anyway no it’s a real problem. Worst thing is he’s good at hiding it i had it in my phone cam once and before I realized it wasn’t recording he was gone… Reflections don’t happen too often and tbh I don’t have the time to sit and review the footage so I sit and try to catch him…. Its been 3 years. Theyve gotten me arrested and pretty much ran my name through the mud in my hometown… Doesn’t hurt my feelings as much as you’d think because I’d never believe what they said about me about them why would you believe hearsay from a blowhard constantly making trouble all the time… Idk but I do know if someone doesn’t stop him and I catch him in gonna do what the pharaohs did to that one guy on American graffiti… Im not really but he has done numerous things to my vehicle and my property and literally nobody takes me seriously and it’s not much at once but added all up it’s alot and I’m just hoping to make him stop and get a life… Mabe idk try dating … Be a normal human and leave me alone… He’s infatuated with trying to make me act out and I sit here as things hit my tin roof like here he goes again.. he also does things to my house when I’m in there. Since he’s harder than a snape to catch I can’t gather evidence to show the cops so they just say I’m on drugs which I’m about to start …. Idk help!!!!
I live in Ireland,a rural area,and at night this drone is watching,it’s very scary,as I’m an OAP and live alone.If I could find this person that’s spying on me,I would take his drone and put it where the sun don’t shine.
What can I do if I believe a officer and his friends are flying and flashing lights threw my bedroom window at night watches me when I look out there they are they will flash lights to let me know they are there or there are a couple when they see me they will turn there lights off what can u do about this it makes me feel unsafe in my home I’ve moved into another room I feel like I have no privacy I feel like my home has been bugged it makes me feel really uncomfortable I deal with alot of mental health issues and then doing this is making it worse on me
Is this happening in Franklin county Mo. Because we have the same thing happening
This drone stalking is out of hand for women. Contacting police or FAA is not assistance, merely passing the buck and innocents suffer.
Totally agree 💯%.
I’m a single homestead women of color who lives in a small town with a lot of old small town thinking. The drone stalking is not only out of control but so is the harassment both with & without the drone. It’s terrible. Many times the police are in on it too, which is why they aren’t doing much to help stop it. They act as if they have no clue that drone even exists. They are full of 💩. They say contact FAA then FAA say contact your local law enforcement. 😡🤬 They play badminton and nothing gets resolved.
I have several drones watching me and following me and I feel as if it has to do with me being in a probate case I’ve evern reported it to our local sheriffs department and still have no help from them even with documentation along with being gang stock by some of the subjects I do believe that are doing the spying with the drones. Please help me with who I can notify about this situation. Ty,
I too have been stalked via drone. Only, the scary thing is I have no idea who is operating these devices. I have been awakened several times to flashing lights, blinding infrared glare, and annoying nonstop buzzing. Ive tried everything from Heavy drapes to tin foil. The infrared red light manages to get in. I’m terrified and I don’t feel safe in my own home. I can’t believe this is legal.
I have a drone stalking me. I believe its my ex husband having someone doing this to me. Ive taken pictures, kept notes. How can i find out whos flying this drone? And what can be done about this