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‘Creepy’ drones in Victoria raise concerns, calls for regulation

Several Victoria residents have had “creepy” encounters with drones in recent days, which has privacy experts calling for regulations around the camera-equipped, remote-controlled devices.
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Serena Lee and a friend were in her second-storey condo in downtown Victoria late Tuesday night when they noticed a drone hovering outside her window. When she went out to the balcony, she saw the drone travel in a line outside the windows along the second floor.

Several Victoria residents have had “creepy” encounters with drones in recent days, which has privacy experts calling for regulations around the camera-equipped, remote-controlled devices.

Serena Lee was in her second-floor condo at Mermaid Wharf with friend Julie French just after 11 p.m. Tuesday when she noticed a bright yellow light outside her window. The two went out to the balcony to investigate and saw that a drone was hovering about three to five metres from her window.

The drone hovered outside other second-storey windows before flying away.

“It was going all the way along the window line on the second floor,” French said. “We thought, ‘This is really creepy.’ ”

Lee and French said the experience left them feeling like their privacy has been invaded.

“It takes you back to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, where you’re constantly being watched,” Lee said.

French said what concerned her the most is that there was no sound coming from the drone, contrary to reports that the drones emit a loud buzzing noise.

Laura Moffett called Oak Bay police on Tuesday afternoon after she and her mother became concerned about a man operating a drone in the Uplands neighbourhood.

Moffett said she and her mother approached the man when they saw the drone flying over their backyard and asked him to stop. The man refused, saying he wasn’t doing anything illegal.

“I said, ‘That’s like standing outside someone’s windows and taking photographs into their house. That’s like peeping on someone.’ ” Still, the man didn’t let up.

Moffett, who works as a pilot, took a photo of the man’s licence plate and reported it to Oak Bay police. Officers contacted the man and gave him a warning but did not lay criminal charges.

Police spokesman Const. Rick Anthony said the department has received three complaints this week about drones flying over residences. Anthony said anyone intruding on the personal space or boundaries of a home could face criminal charges of voyeurism, criminal harassment or mischief.

Victoria police said they are aware of privacy concerns around drones and encourage people to call them if they notice suspicious activity.

A week and a half ago, a Vancouver resident spotted a drone buzzing around his 36-storey condo, which he caught on video.

Transport Canada regulates commercial use of drones and the Department of National Defence regulates military use, but there’s nothing that lays out rules for individuals who use them.

“To that extent, there is a vacuum, I think, in the law,” said deputy privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy. He said his office has received several calls about drones but he has not investigated any formal complaints. “It’s perhaps time legislators have a look at addressing the concerns that the public have about their privacy being invaded by these drones,” McEvoy said. “And the public is right to have these concerns.”

People have a right to expect privacy in their backyards, swimming pools and in their homes, he said.

Transport Canada should consider putting some regulations into place for hobbyists who want to use drones, McEvoy said.

All three women who encountered the drones this week would like to see more regulations put in place.

“As a pilot, I have rules and regulations around how low I can fly and what I can do, so why wouldn’t these guys be regulated around their hobby crafts?” Moffett said.

kderosa@timescolonist.com

This is a corrected versionof an earlier story.