New App to Allow ANYONE to Track your Flight Real-Time!!

[Dallas Drone Guy]

I understand the basic desire for privacy, but flying in public is a public activity. If you are driving around in public you can be seen doing that. If you wander around with a camera, you can be seen doing that. Similarly if you fly a manned aircraft then you are publicly visible. What you appear to want is not so much privacy but rather anonymity – to be able to fly a drone anonymously, in public. You want to be able to fly your camera around, perhaps taking photos or videos, but want to remain unidentified and anonymous while doing it.

So no - it not only makes no sense to me - it seems like an unreasonable and suspicious expectation.

Driving in public is also a public activity. Are you okay with sending out a beacon of your Telemetry data in your vehicle to anyone who wants to see it at any given time? If so I think that's kind of weird. I don't want anonymity. I can be seen flying my drone just like I could be seen taking pictures with the regular camera. That's okay. It's the additional information provided by the app that I'm not cool with. But I enjoy reading other viewpoints which is the whole purpose of having this for him. So thanks for your input.

 

[sar104]

Driving in public is also a public activity. Are you okay with sending out a beacon of your Telemetry data in your vehicle to anyone who wants to see it at any given time? If so I think that's kind of weird. I don't want anonymity. I can be seen flying my drone just like I could be seen taking pictures with the regular camera. That's okay. It's the additional information provided by the app that I'm not cool with. But I enjoy reading other viewpoints which is the whole purpose of having this for him. So thanks for your input.

The telemetry in question is just location. If I'm driving then my location is obviously apparent to anyone watching.

 

[solentlife]

May I suggest that people re-read the proposed ... I repeat "PROPOSED" information available via the APP ?

Are some getting a little bit carried away with fanciful imaginings ?

 

[Dallas Drone Guy]

The telemetry in question is just location. If I'm driving then my location is obviously apparent to anyone watching.

perhaps we are looking at two different articles. This is from the article at the top of this thread in The Verge:

 

[solentlife]

Which is NOT your Name, Address, Sex ... sorry GENDER, type brand or make of your 'drone', doesn't give control or even the video feed from the camera .... in fact its not much use to joe public really is it ...
Exactly why I suggested that people should go back and read the proposed info it will provide.
Bit like having an EMU reader for your car ... interesting but at end of day has limited appeal.

I have purposely avoided mentioning this but think after seeing so many 'paranoid' posts - the 'Land of the Free' has in many ways far more likelihood of people calling the 'cops' than many other countries such as UK. I travel a lot and I see more 'Stop and Search' in USA than any other country I visit.

 

[pcdoc69]

Well, as for being tracked. We are tracked all day everyday, cctv cameras, mobile (cell) phones, internet etc. If some silly bugger wants to track my drone flying, go for it. If your're not doing anything wrong why worry.

 

[solentlife]

Well, as for being tracked. We are tracked all day everyday, cctv cameras, mobile (cell) phones, internet etc. If some silly bugger wants to track my drone flying, go for it. If your're not doing anything wrong why worry.

Exactly ...

 

[Dallas Drone Guy]

The argument of, "I'm not doing anything wrong so why worry," implies that you will only have your life interfered with if you are doing something wrong. This is not accurate. Please please, I urge both of you to take 10 minutes out of your day and read the other side of the position you both have taken. Privacy is incredibly important for maintaining a democracy and freedom in general. It is wholly and completely unrelated to legality. I'm going a little bit broader than just drones so I will stop now! Lol
Edward Snowden: "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." "When you say, 'I have nothing to hide,' you're saying, 'I don't care about this right.'

 

[solentlife]

WOW !!!!

How wrong you have it !

The argument of, "I'm not doing anything wrong so why worry," implies that you will only have your life interfered with if you are doing something wrong.

Who said that ? We didn't. You are adding YOUR words to our comment. For myself - I live in the real world and know that CCTV ... Police stops .... all sorts of actions inpinge upon my privacy.

Lets compare flying the drone to being stopped by police.

Sir - do you have ID ? You produce your ID if flying the Drone ... Driving licence if in the car.

Sir - May I ask what you are doing here ? Officer - I'm flying my drone and making a short video ..... just coming back from the shops ..

Sir - thank you ... sorry to have bothered you.

If you are not doing anything wrong - then whats the problem ? I've been stopped by Police so often in USA - it makes the few occasions in UK pale into insignificance. But every stop in USA turned out to be a friendly end and wishing me well.
I can well imagine if I took the attitude I see from some on forums - I can see why the authorities are not so friendly !!

I was driving from Galveston to Houston ... just mind in neutral bored on that long highway ... Police pulled me over ... I had drifted up in speed basically ... I stopped and the Officer stayed behind his car door with a gun in his hand - told me to get out of my car. I will not argue with a gun. I got out and calmly asked what was problem. He noted the English accent and came out and to me at my car. We had a chat about keeping speed down and he then opened up saying that an incident had occurred recent when a car was stopped and a policeman was shot.

My point there - was I was doing something to be pulled over for, but having reasonable attitude - it was all calm and sorted ... and no-one was upset or felt 'interfered' with. Its all a question of todays society is not the free and easy with all privacy some think it is.

OK - lets consider this :

You have a Cessna Private aircraft. It has a registration plastered so large on it - that if you are reasonably low in altitude ... approach to airport .... taxying ... ANYONE can read it. If you know the online address - you can also enter that Reg'n and get details of who / what and where.

I don't see Private Pilots complaining ....

 

[pcdoc69]

Nothing to do with loss of free speech. Let me put it this way. A person wont go for a walk down the middle lane of the motorway (freeway) because that would put them in danger of injury or death. However, the same **** will go and fly a drone near an airport and put 100, 200, 300 peoples lives in danger and THEY dont have a choice of said idiots actions, nor can they do anything about it.

Now if the authorities could pinpoint idiot flyer, go get him/her stop any further threat to these innocent people on a plane then go for it.

Otbers shouldnt suffer because of braindead idiots.

 

[Dallas Drone Guy]

Your point is both 100% valid and 100% irrelevant to the conversation about the general public having the right to know my Telemetry data in real time.
Especially when flying in unrestricted airspace. The Edward Snowden comment goes to the larger point that privacy is a right that should be guarded, not given away flippantly. The authorities need a reason to invade your privacy such as protecting restricted airspace or if you give them probable cause.

 

[MassDrone]

....OK - lets consider this :

You have a Cessna Private aircraft. It has a registration plastered so large on it - that if you are reasonably low in altitude ... approach to airport .... taxying ... ANYONE can read it. If you know the online address - you can also enter that Reg'n and get details of who / what and where.

I don't see Private Pilots complaining ....

Let me add to that. I'm a pilot, single engine instrument rated. Whenever I fly, since I always choose to plug into Air Traffic Control, my flight path is recorded and forever searchable on the internet. Just plug in the tail number, and you can see the entire actual flight path. And while I'm in the air, anybody can find me in real time. The ADS-B system gives everybody in the air and on the ground real-time identification of nearby aircraft, showing their tail numbers, altitude, and speed.

Private pilots aren't complaining - we're rejoicing! While I'm in the air, I see on my iPad display clear, real-time relative position info of nearby aircraft, making flying a lot safer.

 

[Dallas Drone Guy]

Let me add to that. I'm a pilot, single engine instrument rated. Whenever I fly, since I always choose to plug into Air Traffic Control, my flight path is recorded and forever searchable on the internet. Just plug in the tail number, and you can see the entire actual flight path. And while I'm in the air, anybody can find me in real time. The ADS-B system gives everybody in the air and on the ground real-time identification of nearby aircraft, showing their tail numbers, altitude, and speed.

Private pilots aren't complaining - we're rejoicing! While I'm in the air, I see on my iPad display clear, real-time relative position info of nearby aircraft, making flying a lot safer.

Now imagine that somebody is convinced that you are using your Cessna to spy on their daughter at the pool. Or they think that your Cessna is making a disturbing buzzing sound and they feel you don't have the right to fly your Cessna anywhere near their property. Now imagine that they can magically teleport into the cockpit with you while you were trying to Pilot your aircraft and start yelling in your face. I know I'm being silly, but comparing a Cessna to a drone is like comparing an apple to an orange.

 

[sar104]

I know I'm being silly, but comparing a Cessna to a drone is like comparing an apple to an orange.

Yet you were perfectly happy to compare a drone to a passenger vehicle on the ground in making your argument.

 

[solentlife]

Now imagine that somebody is convinced that you are using your Cessna to spy on their daughter at the pool. Or they think that your Cessna is making a disturbing buzzing sound and they feel you don't have the right to fly your Cessna anywhere near their property. Now imagine that they can magically teleport into the cockpit with you while you were trying to Pilot your aircraft and start yelling in your face. I know I'm being silly, but comparing a Cessna to a drone is like comparing an apple to an orange.

Sorry but that post just has me laughing ... sorry. Can we return to the real world !!

 

[solentlife]

Yet you were perfectly happy to compare a drone to a passenger vehicle on the ground in making your argument.

I don't think either side is going to back down on this ...

Some of us understand that Privacy today is not as wide or sacred as it used to be. That our lives are measured, observed and tracked so much - it makes those wild animals with trackers fitted seem totally free and clear !!

Use your credit card ... TRACKED

Walk down the street ... CCTV tracking

Car Registration ... who what where tracked

Toll Booth auto pay ... tracked

the list just goes on and on and on and on .....

Yes - we all wish to live out our lives in privacy ... interference free ... but the ******* of the world have put paid to that. The majority suffers because of the idiotic minority. That's society today.

 

[chascoadmin]

I don't expect any privacy whatsoever when I am in the public doing an activity that could potentially cause harm. At the end of the day you cannot predict what your drone is really going to do. As a matter of fact I like it when people approach me. I even have a sign that says drone flight in progress - do not disturb pilot and if they try to talk to me I explain that I am obligated by law to keep my eyes on the aircraft, but I will happily speak to them when I am done.

Another tip for any of you commercial pilots is to have a card available and put in door jambs of houses that are directly adjacent to your project. Mine is a sticker on the back of my business card simply stating that we will be conducting drone surveys over the project and are in no way collecting data about their homes. It provides my email address and phone number if they have any questions. I have had way more calls interested in the drone usage then were on a negative side. Many of them I invited to my next flight.

People are totally welcome to privacy, when they do it in private.

 

[solentlife]

I don't expect any privacy whatsoever when I am in the public doing an activity that could potentially cause harm. At the end of the day you cannot predict what your drone is really going to do. As a matter of fact I like it when people approach me. I even have a sign that says drone flight in progress - do not disturb pilot and if they try to talk to me I explain that I am obligated by law to keep my eyes on the aircraft, but I will happily speak to them when I am done.

Another tip for any of you commercial pilots is to have a card available and put in door jambs of houses that are directly adjacent to your project. Mine is a sticker on the back of my business card simply stating that we will be conducting drone surveys over the project and are in no way collecting data about their homes. It provides my email address and phone number if they have any questions. I have had way more calls interested in the drone usage then were on a negative side. Many of them I invited to my next flight.

People are totally welcome to privacy, when they do it in private.

Now that I can support 101% .....

 

[Dallas Drone Guy]

Yet you were perfectly happy to compare a drone to a passenger vehicle on the ground in making your argument.

Hopefully when you reread the thread you can tell the difference. The analogy discussing a passenger vehicle was to highlight privacy concerns. Not highlighting the Drone or the vehicle. The comparison of a drone to an airplane is a direct comparison discussing how regulations that are the same should be welcomed.
I agree with silent life that The two sides are not likely to back down so I pretty much forgot about this thread until this morning when I saw this video. Many comments are from law enforcement officers who think this is a terrible idea. Tracking by government officials and law enforcement is bad enough but it is understandable. Tracking by the general public is absolutely terrible idea and law enforcement agrees.

 

[sar104]

Hopefully when you reread the thread you can tell the difference. The analogy discussing a passenger vehicle was to highlight privacy concerns. Not highlighting the Drone or the vehicle. The comparison of a drone to an airplane is a direct comparison discussing how regulations that are the same should be welcomed.
I agree with silent life that The two sides are not likely to back down so I pretty much forgot about this thread until this morning when I saw this video. Many comments are from law enforcement officers who think this is a terrible idea. Tracking by government officials and law enforcement is bad enough but it is understandable. Tracking by the general public is absolutely terrible idea and law enforcement agrees.

Why is a passenger vehicle on the ground essentially any different from a passenger vehicle in the air when it comes to privacy concerns?