A few months ago, I received a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter for a present. For most people, a quadcopter is called a drone. Call it whatever you want, it is a fun toy for me (tool for others). I have it outfitted with a GoPro camera and a video transmitter so that I can see what is going on during flight. In a conversation with my in-laws where I was showing my father-in-law how it flies, my mother-in-law indicated that she thought the devices were creepy because they can be used to spy on people. This is the same thing that the media is playing up and catering to the fears of people.
The quadcopters are first off, noisy, you can’t sneak up on people and take a picture; you know they are coming. Second off, the cameras on these copters aren’t all that great for details. The GoPro is a decent camera, but if you want to take a picture of someone in a house, you’re going to have to have the copter right at a window. Third, if you live in a 2 story house, it’s likely that you can already see in your neighbor’s yard. We live on a hill and can easily see into our neighbor’s backyard from our backyard.
In the current state of copters, I find it quite hard to really invade someone’s privacy without them knowing. Also, as I’m just learning to fly, I only fly on my property. When I get more experienced, I’ll goto a park and fly; flying over people’s houses may not be the smartest thing to do.
Time will tell what lawmakers decide to do to this new found hobby of mine.