G-string in the backyard pic just the beginning: Drone privacy and security a big problem

AS MORE people get access to drones, it has become easier than ever for people to spy on us in our homes and the government isn’t doing anything about it.

Geoff & Mandy Lingard of Mt Martha have concerns about the use of drones after a local real estate agent commisioned the services of a drone for aerial photos of a property that neighbours the Lingards. The drone managed to unwittingly capture the next door neighbour (Mandy) sunbathing topless next door. The picture, complete with scantily clad neighbour, ended up on the massive sales board & Mandy & Geoff are unimpressed. Picture: Paul Loughnan ph 0404846595

DRONES are getting cheaper which means more people are buying them. And while most owners use them to create awesome videos, other people’s intentions aren’t so innocent.

As the Herald Sun reported this morning, Melbourne woman Mandy Lingard, a mother of three and grandmother of one, was photographed sunbathing in her backyard in a G-string by a real estate drone without her knowledge. The image was then used on an advertisement for a house for sale nearby, placed on the internet and in a real estate magazine.

Mandy Lingard of Mt Martha have concerns about the use of drones.

A local real estate agent commisioned the services of a drone for aerial photos and unwittingly captured neighbour (Mandy) sunbathing topless.

Real estate board being pulled down after it showed a Mt Martha woman sunbaking topless @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/uYfOekGLA3

— Jayde Vincent (@JaydeVincent) November 16, 2014

This is certainly not the first privacy breach by a drone in Australia. Earlier this year a man was caught flying over a Gold Coast beach filming people sunbaking below.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which estimates tens of thousands of drones are being flown by recreational users, stipulates that drones are not to be flown around populous areas such as beaches or people’s backyards. You also can’t take pictures without people’s permission.

Pictures taken by a drone operator in Bali.

Despite the warnings, numerous cases have been reported to authorities, but with minimal prosecutions.

Trevor Long, a drone user and tech expert from Sydney said that there is physically nothing stopping him or anyone flying a drone in any location.

“Once you see and use a drone you realise that they are very noisy, so it would be hard for anyone to spy without getting noticed,” he told news.com.au.

But when it comes to actually breaking the law Mr Long believes, “it’s basically a moral thing right now, and if you are flying over places you don’t know, there’s a chance the homeowners will call the police.”

This Parrot Minidrone "Rolling Spider" can be bought for as little as $139.

Currently Australian regulation requires that drone users not fly higher than 120 metres and must be kept in sight at all times. But many YouTube videos show drone users flying well above 120 metres, with one almost colliding with a helicopter in Newcastle flying at around 300 metres. Such a collision could have brought the helicopter down. Other more extreme concerns revolve around using a drone as a weapon.

Current Australian law is over a decade old, however recommendations for the national privacy law to expand and cover new technology such as drones were made in July. The report called upon the federal government to look at introducing legislation by July next year that would protect against privacy-invading technology such as drones but until then drones are a law unto themselves.