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Anybody is allowed filming in public (with minor restrictions on tunnels and bridges and government agency buildings in some areas), the courts have ruled on th

Anybody is allowed filming in public (with minor restrictions on tunnels and bridges and government agency buildings in some areas), the courts have ruled on that many times. Plus they already have satellites photographing the whole planet daily. I'm more worried about the drones breaking and falling on our heads.

tyfon 7y ago
Is the view of a garden from 20 meters up in the air considered "public filming"? Can I fly a drone over the house of whomever I want and record all they're doing?
- bufferoverflow 7y ago
  The law is not settled on how high you can fly above private property. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b9a60354-30c6-445a-8bf4-f6d772bb9152 https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b9a60354-30c6... But note, it's a different question from whether one can film your property from public space. I can fly a drone above the public street and film your property from the side. And it's legal.
arkades 7y ago
I'm not really sure what your point was intended to be in your first paragraph. "I'm worried about ubiquitous drone-enabled surveillance." "Well, it's legal." I don't really see how that addresses any concern.
- ShteiLoups 7y ago
  If we don't want it happening, we should make it illegal, simple as that.
  - bufferoverflow 7y ago
    That would be complicated. You'd have to make outdoor photography illegal.
    - phkahler 7y ago
      arkades 1 hour ago [-] I'm not really sure what your point was intended to be in your first paragraph. "I'm worried about ubiquitous drone-enabled surveillance." "Well, it's legal." What part of that has anything to do with outdoor photography?
      - bufferoverflow 7y ago
        If taking photos/videos outside (on public property) is legal, then I can survey your property all day long from the streets that surround it. It's very hard to make surveillance illegal without making photography/videography illegal. Try and write out the law, if you think you can.
        robdachshund 7y ago
        You are 100% correct. As much as I don't want drones with cameras flying over my houses, as long as they are 400ft above my home it's considered public airspace. If this were to be addressed it would come into conflict with the 1st ammendment and possibly the 4th?
        fragmede 7y ago
        The FAA has wide latitude to regulate our skys, so there must be some gotchas to this hypothetical law that you're thinking of that aren't immediately obvious to me, so I'm curious where my blind spot is. Eg. Video recording is prohibited from any Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), except by license from the FAA. Said license would then include a requirement to get permission from the property owner. It's one thing to put up a 9-ft tall fence surrounding your property to prevent passers by from taking photos as there are very few 10-ft tall people. It's another thing if 50-ft tall fences aren't enough.
        DuskStar 7y ago
        > Eg. Video recording is prohibited from any Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), except by license from the FAA. Congratulations, you've now banned storing debug information for when one of these drones inevitably crashes. Since I'm sure they'll be using cameras for collision avoidance...

tyfon 7y ago

Is the view of a garden from 20 meters up in the air considered "public filming"? Can I fly a drone over the house of whomever I want and record all they're doing?

bufferoverflow 7y ago
The law is not settled on how high you can fly above private property. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b9a60354-30c6-445a-8bf4-f6d772bb9152 https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b9a60354-30c6... But note, it's a different question from whether one can film your property from public space. I can fly a drone above the public street and film your property from the side. And it's legal.

arkades 7y ago

I'm not really sure what your point was intended to be in your first paragraph. "I'm worried about ubiquitous drone-enabled surveillance." "Well, it's legal." I don't really see how that addresses any concern.

ShteiLoups 7y ago
If we don't want it happening, we should make it illegal, simple as that.
- bufferoverflow 7y ago
  That would be complicated. You'd have to make outdoor photography illegal.
  - phkahler 7y ago
    arkades 1 hour ago [-] I'm not really sure what your point was intended to be in your first paragraph. "I'm worried about ubiquitous drone-enabled surveillance." "Well, it's legal." What part of that has anything to do with outdoor photography?
    - bufferoverflow 7y ago
      If taking photos/videos outside (on public property) is legal, then I can survey your property all day long from the streets that surround it. It's very hard to make surveillance illegal without making photography/videography illegal. Try and write out the law, if you think you can.
      - robdachshund 7y ago
        You are 100% correct. As much as I don't want drones with cameras flying over my houses, as long as they are 400ft above my home it's considered public airspace. If this were to be addressed it would come into conflict with the 1st ammendment and possibly the 4th?
      - fragmede 7y ago
        The FAA has wide latitude to regulate our skys, so there must be some gotchas to this hypothetical law that you're thinking of that aren't immediately obvious to me, so I'm curious where my blind spot is. Eg. Video recording is prohibited from any Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), except by license from the FAA. Said license would then include a requirement to get permission from the property owner. It's one thing to put up a 9-ft tall fence surrounding your property to prevent passers by from taking photos as there are very few 10-ft tall people. It's another thing if 50-ft tall fences aren't enough.
        DuskStar 7y ago
        > Eg. Video recording is prohibited from any Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), except by license from the FAA. Congratulations, you've now banned storing debug information for when one of these drones inevitably crashes. Since I'm sure they'll be using cameras for collision avoidance...