Rural homeowner flies off the handle when she sees a drone hovering over her property, wonders if she's wrong: 'People don't like it when strange men fly drones over their fenced backyards'

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Sep 27, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

There's nothing better than being in your own home and experiencing what it feels like to be utterly and completely alone, with no one around to perceive you, judge you, or otherwise consider your existence and what you might happen to be doing. Hanging out enjoying a peaceful afternoon doing some home maintenance outside, and suddenly your ears are bombarded by an infernal whirring outside as if 10,000 angry bees have suddenly descended upon the peace you were enjoying, and looking up, you see a camera drone hovering over your property and home.

That's enough to make you wonder what the person controlling the drone might be doing—and it's only a natural suspicion. Many of us would have the same feeling at seeing a camera pointed in our direction even if we were out in public and aware that it might be a possibility, but it's a little different where and when we might expect to have complete privacy.

Now, I can't say anything other than the noise bothers me much. I know I'm not that interesting, and no one would really want a photo of me for any reason, so I wouldn't be quick to assume that the drone was bothered with me at all. However, those more unadjusted to technology and accustomed to having their privacy undisturbed, particularly those in rural areas, tend to be prone to more suspicion and finding the persons responsible.

That's likely how this rural homeowner felt when she had a strong reaction to a drone flying over her property, upon finding the controller giving him an earful. It was later revealed that he was flying the drone in order to take real estate photographs for her neighbor's home, and her neighbor thought that her reaction was unnecessary. The homeowner took to this online community to ask whether or not she was wrong for her reaction and for caring at all about the disturbance.