Is the following an invasion of Privacy?

[John Decker]

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it just like I am MINE!

So yes REALLY! If we don't police ourselves we can be sure our Govt will police us and we will not be happy with the outcome. Other countries have already enacted very strict (and silly) Anti-Privacy laws and some states are going that route as well here in the US. So please just do as you please and see how it comes out in the long run for the rest of us.

Privacy laws, surely? If you mean what you wrote I'll be just a bit more depressed..

 

[John Decker]

I've been agreeing with you all along. I feel you are correct. But, as you reference his statement; But as you say, we are free to act as we like, as long as people are not offended. I or you or any person is not responsible for offending someone. In order to not offend, I have to get in his brain and evaluate all of his billions of thoughts to find where he will be offended. Since I cannot do that, the offense is on him. He decides if he is offended. No one can ever know what will offend another. If offense or being offended becomes a law; You can't offend anyone!, then we will all have to stop talking. It will become a silent world!

There are laws against offensive behaviour.

 

[NRRTRAINS]

The complaint was I crossed over the MIDDLE OF HIS GARDEN, + HOVERED THERE FOR A SHORT WHILE. Was it an invasion of his privacy?
When offered a copy, he did NOT want to see the fil

i have never seen so many houses that look like forts in the wilderness with fences that look like walls LOL .

 

[randyvanscoy]

Maybee he is growing something illigal in there!!!!

 

[NRJ]

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it just like I am MINE!

So yes REALLY! If we don't police ourselves we can be sure our Govt will police us and we will not be happy with the outcome. Other countries have already enacted very strict (and silly) Anti-Privacy laws and some states are going that route as well here in the US. So please just do as you please and see how it comes out in the long run for the rest of us.

So by policing ourselves it is evident that you mean, please everyone else and they won't have to call the police. And you will no longer be free. Good luck with that! You are right about other countries and their privacy laws. Also, look at our Universities. The reason these countries have these 'silly' Anti-Privacy laws is because the public has given up and not fought back. Freedom is not free. It costs a lot.

 

[PixelDoc]

They may know 6 languages, English not primary.
How many languages do you know fluently????
Two? English + Cow???

Mooooo

 

[NRJ]

There are laws against offensive behaviour.

You're right, but, that's a given. There are also laws about those behaviors. I'm responding to the unknown or words of offense in this matter which people don't seem to understand; It is impossible for me or anyone (especially if I don't know them) to know what offends another person. That is determined by the life any person has had and their mind.

 

[PixelDoc]

The original survey question here assumes that there are only two opposing answers; a problem with a lot of surveys. They're set up to produce emotion and discussion; which, as can be seen time and time again, can very quickly deteriorate into anger, intolerance and even hatred. This technique is pretty standard on the internet. Just ask that orange guy sitting in that big white house.

One can not always answer with a 'yes' or 'no'. Many, if not most issues, are not two dimensional. As this thread has amply demonstrated.
What color is grey? Is it Black or White?

I'd suggest:
Is this an invasion of privacy?
Yes? -- Why?
No? -- Why?
Depends? -- On what?

My two cents in a world where pennies don't count.

 

[Sgt_dubie]

Personally, I say there was nothing wrong done, base on the little video clip... however, as a property owner, if I’m constantly being annoyed by someone’s drone flying around above me, I just might get fed up enough to exercise my right to practice with my shotgun...

It’s less a matter of invading privacy, more a matter of respecting your neighbors. If you explained what you were doing and he doesn’t want you doing it over his yard, perhaps consider flying another direction, or fly high enough over his property he won’t even notice you passing. If your bent on doing it just because you can, be prepared for a drawn out petty feud with the neighbor that will likely last until one of you gets fed up enough to move away.

 

[NRJ]

The original survey question here assumes that there are only two opposing answers; a problem with a lot of surveys. They're set up to produce emotion and discussion; which, as can be seen time and time again, can very quickly deteriorate into anger, intolerance and even hatred. This technique is pretty standard on the internet. Just ask that orange guy sitting in that big white house.

One can not always answer with a 'yes' or 'no'. Many, if not most issues, are not two dimensional. As this thread has amply demonstrated.
What color is grey? Is it Black or White?

I'd suggest:
Is this an invasion of privacy?
Yes? -- Why?
No? -- Why?
Depends? -- On what?

My two cents in a world where pennies don't count.

You are correct, however, as you have seen, the 'why's' come out when people start talking. However, we can also see the many directions these take off in as well. Lol.

 

[NRJ]

Personally, I say there was nothing wrong done, base on the little video clip... however, as a property owner, if I’m constantly being annoyed by someone’s drone flying around above me, I just might get fed up enough to exercise my right to practice with my shotgun...

It’s less a matter of invading privacy, more a matter of respecting your neighbors. If you explained what you were doing and he doesn’t want you doing it over his yard, perhaps consider flying another direction, or fly high enough over his property he won’t even notice you passing. If your bent on doing it just because you can, be prepared for a drawn out petty tied with the neighbor that will likely last until one of you gets fed up enough to move away.

I agree, however, the Op said he tried to show the video of the flight to the complainant and he wouldn't even watch it. So, there is no case here. What the complainant thinks he is angry at... is not the source of his anger!

 

[John Decker]

You're right, but, that's a given. There are also laws about those behaviors. I'm responding to the unknown or words of offense in this matter which people don't seem to understand; It is impossible for me or anyone (especially if I don't know them) to know what offends another person. That is determined by the life any person has had and their mind.

I've had many a discussion (after inadvertently insulting someone) along the lines of "if I didn't mean to insult you, do you have the right to be insulted?" or "if I meant to insult and you didn't take issue with what I said, were you insulted?"
Depending on my mood I can argue both sides; I guess me insulting you is something we both have to work at..

 

[Dave Billings]

Many neighborhoods have people who can't wait to complain about anything and everything they see or hear.
I live in metro Tampa Bay... No one has ever complained about flying my drone over their house.
Now I know how blessed I am to have good neighbors!

 

[NRJ]

I've had many a discussion (after inadvertently insulting someone) along the lines of "if I didn't mean to insult you, do you have the right to be insulted?" or "if I meant to insult and you didn't take issue with what I said, were you insulted?"
Depending on my mood I can argue both sides; I guess me insulting you is something we both have to work at..

Forgive me for saying this but, I'm not insulted.

 

[Techguy56]

Words of wisdom. Had a similar situation in my "hood". Was out flying one day, in an area without any homes, when I was approached by a neighbor. Had seen her around, never met her, didn't know who she was. She approached me and started asking questions like, why am I flying in the neighborhood, did I have a license for "that thing", etc, etc. I answered her questions and indicated that I was compliant with the regulations and was simply doing some testing after making some adjustments. That didn't reassure her. She then starts talking about reports of a drone flying outside someone's bathroom window (was not me) and "INVASION OF PRIVACY". She expressed concern that I might be spying on people and she was "concerned" about that. She then went on to inform me that she knew who I was, where I lived, and how long I'd live there. That kind of creeped me out. At that point, my spider sense starts tingling and I realize that I may be dealing with a case of paranoia and that I need to defuse the situation quickly before she goes over the edge. So I landed the Phantom, powered it down, and calmly told her that I appreciated her concerns but those concerns were unfounded. I told her that I respect other people's right to privacy and have no interest in wasting precious battery time by "spying on people". I then flipped it around and questioned her sinceriety and integrity if she probed into my background like she did. I then picked up my Phantom and ended the conversation by saying that I wouldn't be flying in the neighborhood any more, and walked away. That forced me to get motivated to find more open, less populated areas for flying. The downside is, I now have to drive some distance to get to those areas. The upside is, I get SIGNIFICANTLY better range and a lot more satisfaction out of flying.

Excellent response and outcome. I myself don't care for flying around any houses or other people.
For me that makes flying more enjoyable and it's worth the time to drive to an ideal spot.
Although these drones are a blast to fly and take videos with they can also become unpredictable.
Could lose signal and fly into someone's house or land in their backyard then of course they are going to think you were spying on them.

 

[bsartist]

We may be missing another element to all this. I’m not picking sides or trying to judge unfairly. Here is my observation after reading the whole thread.

It is difficult to properly read someone’s tone in typed conversation, but I think a number of us may have read a somewhat antagonistic tone in the OPs posts throughout. I believe the word “rant” was used in one reply. We may have read it all wrong, but I think some of us took it that way. It also seems that the OP was interested in debating the PC aspects such invasion of privacy complaints. In other words, the OP may appear to have an axe to grind with an agenda above and beyond merely being able to fly his drone. Nothing wrong with that per se.

However, *IF* the OP comes off in person with neighbors the way some of us interpreted his tone on this thread and with “colorful words” and his axe to grind, then it could be that there is more bad blood between them than just a flying drone. But it’s *who* they see flying the drone. Maybe there are other altercations we don’t know about. Maybe they think the OP is trying to prove his point by flying around so low. Who knows? In other words, if they just don’t like him and find him antagonistic, that colours their view of whatever he does. Doesn’t make it a fair accusation. Just makes it comport with what happens in the real world.

I’m not saying this is true. It’s impossible for me to know from this thread. I make no assumptions. But just like the person here who asked to see the rest of the video, I can’t ignore the *possibility* that there is more to the story. It *may* be that the neighbor was being unreasonable because he sees the OP as unreasonable.

Just a thought.

 

[fbrickphoto]

As you said, you never hovered, and from your video, I don’t see any hovering (Hover - to remain in one place in the air). So if he lied, I’d just consider him a liar and move on. If he complains to some authority that you “hovered” you have evidence you did not. If he complains about a flyover, then "mea culpa, and I’ll fly around the property in the future” and maybe turn off the camera. This neighbor might complain to other of your neighbors, and try to stir up trouble. If you are on good terms with your other neighbors, you might consider speaking with them, explaining the situation with the complainer, and asking if it is O.K to fly over their property, perhaps in exchange for an occasional photo or video. BTW, there are reasons other than those I have seen stated here that people don’t like photos taken of their property from any vantage point, even the road, especially some “gardeners” (those growing plants that are illegal to grow, for example); farmers, who might be growing crops in an illegal manner; and ranchers and dairy farmers out of fear of spying by PETA. There can also be commercial concerns of spying by possible competitors.

 

[Phantom Pirate]

Reason, common sense, logic, fair play, balance, has gone.

AMEN TO THAT, Brother!

All of this "I'm offended" stuff is getting ridiculous!

There's only one thing that offends me. It's young guys wearing the waist of their pants 4 to 5" below their waste! If you can't afford a belt, use a piece of rope, SLOB !!!

 

[RunningWithScissors]

A very wise man once told me, "Pick your battles very wisely as that may well decide the outcome of the war". Now that I think about it, maybe BigAl said that.

 

[bsartist]

A very wise man once told me, "Pick your battles very wisely as that may well decide the outcome of the war". Now that I think about it, maybe BigAl said that.

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. ”