Drone surveillance is creepy, and it’s against the law

Imagine you are relaxing in your outdoor hot tub in your backyard. Since it’s your own private space, you aren’t wearing a swimsuit. You hear a buzz in the sky but think nothing of it.

The next day, there’s a notice from the county on the front door saying some part of your home is not up to code. You later discover that local code inspectors had been watching your property with a drone, and you worry they might have observed you naked.

In Sonoma County, stories like this are all too common. For the past six years, the county’s code enforcement section has run an ever-expanding drone surveillance program. They’ve launched more than 700 low-altitude flights that monitor and record residents, their homes and the areas surrounding them.

Code inspectors have done all of this without first obtaining a warrant, which violates the California constitution. And they have hidden this practice from the community and from the media.

Continue reading on The Press Democrat website.  

You can also read the press release about our lawsuit to block Sonoma County code inspectors from using drones to conduct surveillance of people's homes without a warrant.