Some months ago, this blogger mused at the possibility that surplus military spy drones would soon find their way into the hands of nosy neighborhood spy committees. Drones used by an HOA? Naw, too far out to be plausible.
Well, it wasn’t such a crazy prediction after all. A cheap spy drone was actually used over a meat-packing plant near Oak Cliff, Texas, to spy on the Columbia Meat Packing plant. Now, video from the spy drone is being used in criminal indictments of the owners of the plant for illegally dumping pigs blood into the Trinity River. The fines could be huge, up to one-and-a-half million dollars, making the drone purchase a pretty worthwhile investment.
How long will it take for these surplus drones to end up in the hands of the HOA police so they can scope out that illegal hot tub in your back yard? Believe me. Not long.
I’ve blogged about this previously, but it was always half in jest. I can’t jest any more.
The Scheibel Corporation’s drone spy plane, developed on behalf of the military, is now going civilian. A news story today indicates that the drone may soon become a news gathering tool, as television stations begin using them as their new sky spy.
That’s been done in the past, of course, from helicopters and small planes owned by the TV stations. But those stations have always had to be cautious about invasion of privacy. Grab some pictures of you and a couple of ladies in the backyard hot tub, and the invasion of privacy lawsuits would fly.
However, consider this: As the technology becomes cheaper to buy or rent, members of the typical HOA could easily use them to scope out hidden violations of the CC&Rs. This drone takes still shots, it takes magnificent moving video. It was intentionally designed to actually track people in their most private moments.
But can’t you file invasion of privacy lawsuits against your HOA? Sure, you can file them, but you might not get anywhere in court. Remember, you signed those papers which relieved your board members of liability. You signed papers that allow your property to be inspected without prior notice. Most people don’t even know the kinds of rights they’ve signed away.
It’s a weird admission, but years ago I once ran outside the house in my birthday suit to grab the newspaper from my driveway. Heck, it was four in the morning. It was pitch black, nobody could see me.
But times change. Lordy, how they change. Now, that kind of video might even be legally played on the bigscreen at the HOA Christmas party! Mock me at your own risk, Pal!
Ward Lucas, author of Neighbors At War! The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association
I don’t want to creep my friends out too much before our new week begins. But controversial news items keep piling up in my in-box, and they have to be cleared out sooner or later.
ITEM: 30,000 military drones are on their way to law enforcement outfits in America. It won’t be too long before extremely inexpensive drones are available to other government agencies to do aerial inspections of zoning violations. Now the Air Force is developing drones the size of a hummingbird, or even a mosquito. It’s not hard to imagine a mosquito flying through an open door or window and grabbing a microscopic piece of your DNA from bedsheets or clothing.
ITEM: New York City is first on the list to buy a sky full of the new drones. New York is also working with the Microsoft Corporation to develop a 30 million dollar computer/camera system that keeps track of everyone in New York ALL the time!
ITEM: Gary Harrington, of Medford, Oregon, has just begun serving a 30 day jail sentence. His crime? Collecting rainwater and snowmelt that fell on his property. Oregon says it’s illegal to divert streams. Harrington’s argument that “diverting rainfall was not the same as diverting streams” fell on deaf ears in the courts.
ITEM: Martha Boneta owns a 70 acre farm where she grows vegetables. She has a permit to sell from a little farm store on her property. Her mistake is that she sells some souvenirs and trinkets and occasionally has pumpkin carving events and an occasional birthday party for her friend’s kid. But now she’s facing a $5000 fine for selling non farm items and not getting a permit for the birthday party.
CONCLUSION: Government is becoming more and more intrusive. Does it take any kind of imagination to see the day when HOAs can send drones over your property and in through the windows of your home looking for covenant violations? There’s already a case in Texas where an HOA president used a helicopter to photograph a resident’s back yard! Theoretically, we have a Constitution that prohibits unlawful searches of your property and belongings. But HOAs involve private contracts with homeowners. Your HOA doesn’t have to respect the restrictions in the Constitution.
Am I nuts about all of this? Not according to the link below.
