Mandy Lingard Drone, Mandy Lingard did not know a drone was overhead the day she decided to sunbathe almost nude in the backyard of her home in Australia. A drone was flying overhead, and it snapped a few shots of a sale property. It also managed to catch the grandmother in her backyard. That sunny afternoon she was only wearing a thong bottom. The New York Daily News reported on this Australian woman's story on Nov. 17.
What happened to the photos that the drone took of Mandy Lingard? The photo of her sunbathing was used in their advertising, on billboards, and on social media to promote the property. Lingard saw the photo when she was out, and she immediately recognized her backyard. When she saw that the snapshot showed her laying almost nude on her lounge chair, she was embarrassed. It was only by luck that she was lying face down at the time the drone snapped the photo of her. Lingard spoke out about the snap shot's usage, and she said the following:
Steve Walsh, the owner of the real estate agency involved, had no idea that the drone snapped shots of Lingard's sunbathing. As soon as he was aware of the situation, he took the signs down. Those went down on Monday. It is safe to say the damage in this case has been done though. The advertisement for the property was up before anyone noticed the woman in the backyard. Lingard did hear the drone overhead on the day the snap shot was taken, but she did not think the drone would take a photo of her.
According to news.com.au, this is not the first drone incident involving photos of sunbathers. A man was caught taking photos of sunbathers at Gold Coast Beach earlier this year. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has guidelines in place that say drones are not allowed near private populated areas or beaches. Residents can call in to report a drone if they see it over their property. As it stands now, those caught only suffer minor prosecution. This could change in the future. At this time, there is nothing really stopping people from using drones to spy on others.
Drones are becoming more and more popular. People are finding more uses for them as well. The Next Web reported on Monday that online retailer Amazon is looking for drone operators to work for Prime Air. This division of Amazon will use drones to deliver small packages to their customers. Amazon is looking for drone operators with at least five years experience. Those hired will work closely with their UAS systems in Seattle.
If successful, this drone delivery service could be used in the U.S. and around the world to deliver packages quickly. Amazon first announced their plans to use drones last December. Only a year later, they are ready to move forward to the next phase of the project.Amazon still has to get permission to use the drone service from the Federal Aviation Authority. Right now, it is against the law to commercially use drones in the United States.
What do you think of Mandy Lingard's drone incident? How do you feel about drones in general? Should they be used more or less?
