How to Hide from Drone Surveillance

Drones are everywhere and while they can be useful, they can also interfere with your privacy...

drone

Beyond their entertainment purposes, drones can be handy in many areas. Military and law enforcement use them and so do savvy farmers to inspect and manage crops. Also, there are drones individuals use to take aerial shots and record fancy videos; plus we have those used for capturing the sports footage, and for deliveries in some places. Chances are we’re just getting started with use cases, but unfortunately not every drone usage is fun and useful.

We’ve heard stories of drones interfering with airport operations and even stalking other people. So, the question is – what can you do to hide from drones recording you. Here are some ideas:

1. Take cover

The easiest and most affordable option is to hide from drones. Sometimes this can be a hassle, but we think it could be worth the effort. Or not, depending on what kind of drone we’re talking about and who’s operating it.

The idea is simple – use your surroundings to your advantage. You can get under a tree, get inside a building, a tunnel or some other structure that won’t let the prying drone camera take a photo (or video) of you.

The downside of this method is obvious – the drone ends up controlling you, as it is you who is hiding… But I guess until some legislation is introduced, this is the easiest way to keep yourself protected from drone surveillance.

2. Try an anti-surveillance jacket

There is clothing that could thwart drone surveillance. These tend to come in the form of jackets that are constructed with multiple layers of fabric, containing metal and act as a wearable faraday cage to block incoming and outgoing signals. As an added benefit, these jackets will also prevent outside sources from connecting to your phone.

What’s more, some of these jackets can lower your heat signature so drones are less likely to pick up on your presence if they rely on heat.

3. Get an umbrella

The good ol’ umbrella may be all you need in order to trick drones. The moment you spot one, open it up and make sure your face is always covered – like it’s raining.

An umbrella is another cheap way to protect yourself from drone surveillance, though you can always buy a fancy, expensive model. From what I’ve seen, there are all kinds of novelties in the “umbrella world.” Still, this is one of those products you will own even if there are no drones around.

4. Use a disguise to avoid facial recognition

There are drones that use facial recognition to search for people, and here you’ll want to use a disguise to prevent facial recognition.

You can use a mask or a hat for that, but we should add that the latest camera technologies may be able to recognize you even with a hat. With a mask, it could be harder – but it also depends on the kind of a mask you’ll wear.

There is also the hard-core solution to use face paint, though I doubt most folks will opt for it. Simply put, it’s a hassle.

Perhaps the most elegant way is to use some kind of machine-readable fabric that has patterns which computers interpret as human faces. This way, the algorithm may be confused and as a result, your face will be left alone.

At the end, we should also mention other, illegal ways to fight drones which we don’t suggest to anyone — cause they could get you in trouble.

For starters, you cannot shoot or even point lasers at them. The latter could reach a real pilot a mile or more in the air and could potentially blind him/her (or cause some eye injury).

Anti-drone or radar jammers are also illegal in most states and countries; and the same goes for hacking into someone else’s drone.

So until we get the proper legislation on who can legally fly a drone and where, we’ll have to hide or find another way to avoid drone surveillance. If you have some other ideas, feel free to drop them in the comments form below. We’re eager to read your thoughts.