Huntington Beach mom spots drone peering into daughter's room
A woman in Huntington Beach says on Monday she spotted a drone hovering above the balcony in the family's backyard and is worried the drone's pilot was using the camera to watch her adult daughter.
"I could hear a drone and then I was just walking up and I realized one kind of swooped down and was only maybe, like, five feet from me, looking right in," the Huntington Beach wife and mother told CBSLA.
The woman said her daughter was unaware of the drone and didn't hear it because she was watching television.
"For her not to know that that was just sitting there viewing...which...she's in there. I don't want her seen. I don't want anyone that close," the woman said.
Family members said it's not the first time they have seen the drone flying close to their windows, and said they've called police and posted a warning on the social media platform Nextdoor.
"That's an easy way to peeping tom," the Huntington Beach woman said. "I mean, if they can come right into your window and be looking in, you know, that's a problem."
Area residents have also taken reported drone sightings on Nextdoor and shared concerns that criminals may be using them to scope out neighborhoods, sparking concerns about their right to privacy.
"Well, it's an invasion of privacy," Civil Trial Attorney Eric Traut told CBSLA. "The laws are kind of catching up with the technology now, fortunately. So, you could have a drone that's half a mile away videotaping someone that's in their bathroom or bedroom and be in violation of the civil code section. It's also a violation of the penal code."
The California drone law regulations spell out that drone pilots are not allowed to "enter the airspace of persons to capture images without consent. Nor can they take photos or record videos of persons engaged in personal, private or familial activities without approval."
"It's exactly the same as a peeper standing in your backyard or from their backyard," Traut explained. "As I said, it doesn't have to be a trespass. If you're looking into an area where people have an expectation of privacy, whether it's with a drone or physically doing it or with binoculars or any other device, it's a violation of the law."
Traut recommended that people attempt to get photos or video of drones they believe are invading their privacy and, if possible, follow the drone in order to get more information about the person piloting the device.
