I don't doubt what you are saying, but there's much less likelihood that a multimillion dollar heli is looking in my backyard than a $500 drone.ShootDontTalk wrote:I think when you guys start looking at some FAA regulations as well as some case law, you're going to find that manned helicopters are not restricted over your property as low as 500 feet. Not even helicopters with high resolution cameras are restricted. And IIRC some case law says you don't have any expectation of privacy from those aircraft.
There is also the burden that is on you to prove that anyone flying over your property is actually doing something illegal with forethought and malice. It is up to you to obtain actual proof of wrongdoing, not just assumptions. In truth, we do not own the airspace over our property, never have and never will. Right or wrong, that's the law.
People have been looking at what goes on in your backyard for decades. Some doing it with cameras that can read your license plate from low earth orbit.
Given he popularity and abuse the general public has seen, state and federal regulations will be abundant in the near future which will greatly limit where and how drones can be flown. As stated previously the actions of a few greatly affect the whole.