# Neighbours - is this illegal ?



## raysloan1

Hi

This afternoon we had friends around for a BBQ. After a while we heard a strange whining sound and eventually discovered a Drone hovering high above our garden, I watched it until it landed, in our neighbours place. I see no reason for a Drone being launched unless it is taking pictures....?

So, it seems to me that our neigjbours heard us having a nice time and decided to spy on us with a Drone ! Does anyone have any idea about the legality of this kind of thing ?

Thanks for any advice.


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## pyat

This seems like something relevant.



> Les personnes autour du drone doivent être informées si le drone est équipé d'une caméra ou de capteurs susceptibles d'enregistrer des données les concernant.
> 
> Vous ne pouvez pas enregistrer des images permettant de reconnaître ou identifier les personnes (visages, plaques d'immatriculation...) sans leur autorisation.
> 
> Toute diffusion d'image doit faire l'objet d'une autorisation des personnes concernées ou du propriétaire dans le cas d'un espace privé (maison, jardin, etc.). Vous ne pouvez pas utiliser les images prises dans un but commercial ou professionnel.
> 
> En cas de violation de la vie privée, en captant, enregistrant ou diffusant des images ou paroles de personnes sans leur consentement, vous encourez 1 an d'emprisonnement et 45 000 € d'amende.


Which is from:









Drone : règles de pilotage à respecter


Vous voulez piloter un drone pour le loisir ou, plus généralement, pour effectuer un vol à faible risque ? Vous devez alors respecter la réglementation sur les vols en catégorie ouverte. Voici les informations à connaître.




www.service-public.fr


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## BackinFrance

Drone : règles de pilotage à respecter


Un drone est un engin volant sans passagers, piloté à distance. Si vous souhaitez piloter un drone pour le loisir ou, plus généralement, pour effectuer un vol à faible risque, vous devez respecter la réglementation sur les vols en catégorie ouverte. Certains drones doivent être enregistrés pour...




www.service-public.fr




EDIT 
Oh, sorry, I see this link has already been posted.


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## Poloss

Shoot it down


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## BackinFrance

Poloss said:


> Shoot it down


Ridiculous comment given the OP states it landed. 

Even the OP is making assumptions about what the drone was doing and that it was taking photos.

What proof does the OP have? He does not say.

What everyone needs in France is a full on neighborhood dispute based on assumptions?


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## Clic Clac

Who owns the airspace in France ?

In the UK it's the property owner, up to a certain height.

Regardless, your Mayor is probably the first port of call- after speaking with the neighbour.


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## conky2

If there was ever a strange whining sound at one of my BBQ's it was usually the sound of someone becoming fatally ill.


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## Bevdeforges

raysloan1 said:


> I see no reason for a Drone being launched unless it is taking pictures....?


That's a bit of a rash assumption. First thing to do is to talk to the neighbors. It could just be their kid (or the big kid in the family, never mind the age) playing with their new toy and not being quite up to speed on how to control it. You could suggest that whoever might fly their new toy out in an open field somewhere, where they wouldn't be disturbing anyone.


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## Cossie

I think you could be jumping to conclusions about their motives,or have you a ‘history ‘ with these neighbours


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## EuroTrash

Do you know your neighbours? 
Are they the kind of people who would do this unthinkingly because they've got a new toy and they want to see what it does, or are they the kind of people who would do it out of disapproval of other people having fun when they're not?
Quite honestly without knowing your neighbours, how can we guess their motivations.
I know naff all about drones but I question whether they necessarily record, and I think it's the recording that's illegal. If it is just live transmission and not recorded I don't think the law covers that? Make sure before you accuse them of doing something illegal.
Have to say it would annoy me though, both the whining noise and the invasion of privacy.


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## Befuddled

So glad I live out of range of any neighbours. I can hear dogs barking and chain saws in the distance but that's about all I have to endure.


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## SPGW

Poloss said:


> Shoot it down


I agree that drones are an additional nuisance that we don't need. There is already enough noise pollution. The owner may be having some innocent fun trying to pilot it, and I believe they do not, in theory, have the right to fly over other peoples' property without permission. Not that any kind of policing exists. Just my opinion, but you would be equally free to have a go with a catapult ( I have tried that, it is extremely difficult but quite entertaining).
I'd have a word, ask to see the thing, ask if it has an inbuilt camera, and let the owner know that (s)he has to apply to the owner to use your airspace, and maybe pay a fee for that (joking, well sort of) that might disuade them.


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## BackinFrance

Lol, it seems very likely, judging from his post, that the OP and his family /friends/guests had been making quite a bit of noise.


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## Peasant

BackinFrance said:


> Even the OP is making assumptions about what the drone was doing and that it was taking photos.
> What proof does the OP have?


If the neighbor is flying a drone over your property it's quite reasonable to assume that he/she is using said drone to look down onto your property. If the neighbor is doing it without your permission and prior knowledge than the neighbor deserves a good talking to about privacy rights and a reminder about the possible penalties for doing so.


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## Peasant

BackinFrance said:


> Lol, it seems very likely, judging from his post, that the OP and his family /friends/guests had been making quite a bit of noise.


On their own property? That's allowed unless it's early in the morning or late at night.


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## Peasant

conky2 said:


> If there was ever a strange whining sound at one of my BBQ's it was usually the sound of someone becoming fatally ill.


You should cook the meat longer.


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## BackinFrance

Peasant said:


> On their own property? That's allowed unless it's early in the morning or late at night.


Like whirring sounds and robot mowers .

I suggest you read the OP 's post. He is making assumptions. How on earth can he give the neighbor a good talking to if he doesn't even know where the drone came from, but only where it landed, and he has no proof?


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## maxxxyy

Get over it. Just close your blinds if you care that much. Let the man have his fun!


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## EuroTrash

Thing is, although like I said it would irritate me, I can also imagine a situation where someone buys a drone, it arrives and they're itching to try it out. And its test flights will likely be around their own garden and the close vicinity, in other words, the neighbouring garden(s).
Of course that may not be it. But, a dizzy young couple I worked with in Wales some years back did just that, they bought a drone just for fun and they were so excited with it, they loved the technology and everything, but they didn't really know what to do with it. They flew it over the campsite and over the nearby farms and they kept getting told off. Then they got posted to France and were told in no uncertain terms that they couldn't take it. I think they wasted their money.


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## conky2

Peasant said:


> You should cook the meat longer.


I was just flying my comment over your head.


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## Clic Clac

Peasant said:


> You should cook the meat longer.





conky2 said:


> I was just flying my comment over your head.


Well done. 🤓🙈


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## Peasant

BackinFrance said:


> How on earth can he give the neighbor a good talking to if he doesn't even know where the drone came from, but only where it landed, and he has no proof?


You make many assumptions and criticisms without knowing al of the facts, so why are you attempting to deny someone else the privilege?


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## SPGW

BackinFrance said:


> Lol, it seems very likely, judging from his post, that the OP and his family /friends/guests had been making quite a bit of noise.”
> No it doesn’t.
> You are free to make your own assumptions but the post says
> 
> 
> raysloan1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> our neigjbours heard us having a nice time
> 
> 
> 
> There is nothing to suggest a noise level other than that the neighbour was able to detect a “nice time” was being had. And this is irrelevant to the point that flying a drone over property without permission is at best an infringement on privacy and probably illegal.
> And even if it were AC/DC at 120Db rather than a clink of dry martini glasses, an occasional splash in the pool and a bit of ya-ing and guffawing, depending on your idea of a nice time, the noise level is no justification and nothing to do with flying a drone to “spy” on neighbours ( the OP’s assumption).
Click to expand...


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## jweihl

Your neighbor's drone is just a distraction so that you won't notice, or be upset with, Elon Musk's 2,500 satellites. That's truly terrifying.


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## BackinFrance

Spying on neighbour's remains an assumption.


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## conky2

No, the assumption is Aug 15th...........


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## BoilingFrog

They are bloody annoying and intrusive. highly likely they were filming, but to be honest, although invasion of privacy is an irritation, the limits on where you can fly them are more to do with safety. In the UK at least you are not allowed to fly them over people and property willy-nilly. if one came down on you you would know about it, and being battery powered and in the hands of often inexperienced people crashes are very common. If I was being regularly bothered by one I think I would invest in a signal jammer.


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## Befuddled

Some spoilsport politician has probably made them illegal, like the ones you can use in a restaurant, cinema, or concert that jam mobile phone signals. Still available on the internet thankfully.


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## Mforster

raysloan1 said:


> Hi
> 
> This afternoon we had friends around for a BBQ. After a while we heard a strange whining sound and eventually discovered a Drone hovering high above our garden, I watched it until it landed, in our neighbours place. I see no reason for a Drone being launched unless it is taking pictures....?
> 
> So, it seems to me that our neigjbours heard us having a nice time and decided to spy on us with a Drone ! Does anyone have any idea about the legality of this kind of thing ?
> 
> Thanks for any advice.


 I don't live in France, so not sure about the rules, however, in Spain there are strict rules & regulations. Todo lo que deberías saber antes de volar tu dron. The link should automatically translate to English (via Google). The Spanish are quite "scared" of the Guardia Civil. We live out in the sticks so don't have to worry too much about close neighbours/complaints but when we told people (Spanish & Expats) that we had bought a drone for fun, everybody immediately started warning us of what we can / cannot do with it. 

Maybe France has similar regulations...🤔


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## Poloss

Poloss said:


> Shoot it down





BackinFrance said:


> Ridiculous comment given the OP states it landed.
> What everyone needs in France is a full on neighborhood dispute based on assumptions?


I'd like to give some perspective to my post 

"shoot it down" was the advice given to my daughter by the maire of her commune 
when she notified him of various aggressions (including frequent drone incursions) 
committed by a neighbour with whom she was in conflict.

Of course, as a first step it's totally disproportionate 
but if there are repeated incursions despite warnings from the victim's side, a first warning shot could be appropriate ...

Where I'm living now, there are no problems with drones but certain regions rife with cannabis plantations generate a high level of tension between trigger-happy neighbours


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## GirlDownunder

Slingshot will end this trespassing.


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## Peasant

BackinFrance said:


> Spying on neighbour's remains an assumption.


Spying on a neighbor's what?


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