Did you know the Federal Aviation Administration uses 40-year-old computers? Here’s why that’s dangerous, in 60 seconds.
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Protect your privacy: A guide to avoiding drone surveillance
I share a ton of tips to protect your privacy online. Do this quick 30-second check to keep your Google and Facebook accounts safe if you haven’t yet.
What about when you leave your home? Just about everywhere you go, you’re being watched.
Not all cameras are out in the open, either. I once found more than a dozen cameras in an Airbnb I rented. Here are my best tips for spotting hidden cams in a rental, new apartment, home, or hotel room. But now we have drones to deal with.
I spy with my eye a drone in the sky
The other day, I heard a familiar buzz while swimming in my backyard pool. Sure enough, a drone hovered overhead and quickly vanished when I shooed it away with my hand. That’s how I got the idea for this post.
The legality of drone surveillance varies by country and state, but if the drone is flying on your private property and recording you without your consent, call the police. It’s a violation of your privacy.
It’s challenging to learn who owns a drone. In my case, it flew out of my eyesight in seconds. Had my iPhone been within reach, I would have taken a photo of the drone. Some drones have their registration numbers visible, usually in case the owner loses sight of it.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains a database of drone owners who have registered their drones with the FAA. To search the FAA drone owner database, you need the drone’s registration number. Here’s where to search the FAA drone owner database.
The things you should never do to a drone
There are effective, perfectly legal ways to avoid surveillance. There are also a few ways that are illegal for private citizens.
The Federal Aviation Administration legally protects drones from being:
- Shot at: Firing a gun into the sky is dangerous and illegal. Just don’t do it.
- Interfered physically: This includes lasers and other objects.
- Disabled or otherwise tampered with: Using a jammer and hacking are criminal acts.
Even faster delivery? Amazon's Prime Air drone fleet gets the green light
Amazon is always making headlines for its innovative developments. Over the last few years, this e-commerce giant has rolled out same-day delivery in large metro markets, one-click purchases, Amazon Alexa, and a ton of other technologically-advanced innovations that make life easier for shoppers.
📦 Coming in hot: Amazon just got the FAA greenlight to fly new, smaller delivery drones that cross into pilots’ line of sight. First stop: Tolleson, a city west of Phoenix (not near me … yet). Fingers crossed this MK30 model is quieter than the others. Locals, no skeet shooting for prizes!
Fatal Kobe Bryant helicopter crash audio recorded on doorbell cam
We all had a “where were you when” moment on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020.
That’s the day news emerged of a fatal helicopter crash that took the lives of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others who were on board. Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also killed in the crash.
Flying cars … again: The FAA just rolled more rules for electric air taxis, from pilot training to airworthiness requirements. Imagine quick, quiet flights over city traffic, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Some 1,044 vertiports are planned for development between now and 2028. I’m not saving my peanuts; the government moves so slowly.