Internet 'auditors'

[JeffPWFB]

My TikTok feed is currently rammed with videos of these people flying their drones over business premises despite repeated requests not to by concerned business owners.

I just wondered if this is becoming 'a thing' or if it's merely a passing fad.

 

[WaveJumper]

What in the UK

 

[Shopclicks]

It will remain popular as long as people keep watching and the various channels are monetised.

It's all about the viewing numbers. The more business owners object and kick off, the more views the videos get.

In most cases it's completely legal and the owners and managers are doing their business a disservice.

All done under the guise of exercising the rights of the photographer. These guys make good money, so there's no stopping it.

 

[Shopclicks]

What in the UK

The trend was started by the U.S. First Amendment auditors (again all about the views). It spread here purely because of the channel monetisation.

Drone laws over here are very 'loose' and a great way to get business owners riled up. The angrier they get, the bigger the audience and the more money they make.

 

[JeffPWFB]

What in the UK

Pretty much exclusively in the UK, from what I see on TikTok.

 

[Gecko001]

It will remain popular as long as people keep watching and the various channels are monetised.

It's all about the viewing numbers. The more business owners object and kick off, the more views the videos get.

In most cases it's completely legal and the owners and managers are doing their business a disservice.

All done under the guise of exercising the rights of the photographer. These guys make good money, so there's no stopping it.

I have seen a few of these Youtube videos. If you look at the comments to each of the videos, you will see that about 99% of the comments are in praise of the actions of the drone controller. In fact I scanned hundreds of comments of quite a few videos and found only one which was not for these drones, and that one was posted my yours truly.

 

[Shopclicks]

I have seen a few of these Youtube videos. If you look at the comments to each of the videos, you will see that about 99% of the comments are in praise of the actions of the drone controller. In fact I scanned hundreds of comments of quite a few videos and found only one which was not for these drones, and that one was posted my yours truly.

The real consequences are for the irate business owners. Auditors and drone flyers are very quick to report assaults to the police (which rarely end in arrest). If it gets to that stage you can almost guarantee a flood of one star reviews on Google for the business. 100% of auditors play the victim when the police get involved.
Best advice for businesses ... Let them get on with it. It's going to happen whether they like it or not.

Businesses do not own the airspace above their building. And sub-250gm drones with a 4K camera can get as close as they like.

 

[AlanJ1]

Pretty much exclusively in the UK, from what I see on TikTok.

No it's not. It started (as another posted mentioned) in the USA. It's all over Europe as well. You just see UK TikToks as you are in the UK.

It won't go anywhere, it's an easy way to make money and in almost all circumstances it is perfectly legal. The more the owner kicks up the more views they get. Have you ever noticed there are very few where they don't get any interaction with the owner or a manager etc?

 

[JeffPWFB]

I have seen a few of these Youtube videos. If you look at the comments to each of the videos, you will see that about 99% of the comments are in praise of the actions of the drone controller. In fact I scanned hundreds of comments of quite a few videos and found only one which was not for these drones, and that one was posted my yours truly.

That's interesting. On TikTok, the responses contain a lot of criticism for these self-appointed guardians of transparency. In the eyes of many people, they have been well and truly sussed. What I'm curious about, though, is just how big a nuisance this is becoming in the commercial world.

 

[JeffPWFB]

No it's not. It started (as another posted mentioned) in the USA. It's all over Europe as well. You just see UK TikToks as you are in the UK.

It won't go anywhere, it's an easy way to make money and in almost all circumstances it is perfectly legal. The more the owner kicks up the more views they get. Have you ever noticed there are very few where they don't get any interaction with the owner or a manager etc?

Right, thanks for the clarification.

 

[Shopclicks]

What I'm curious about, though, is just how big a nuisance this is becoming in the commercial world.

It only becomes a nuisance if the owners or managers kick off. Nobody is watching these videos to see what a factory roof looks like. Everybody wants to see the auditor arguing with the staff and managers. Without the angry back and forth, the video won't make money. Better to ignore or invite them in for a tour and a coffee

 

[JeffPWFB]

It only becomes a nuisance if the owners or managers kick off. Nobody is watching these videos to see what a factory roof looks like. Everybody wants to see the auditor arguing with the staff and managers. Without the angry back and forth, the video won't make money. Better to ignore or invite them in for a tour and a coffee

Couldn't agree more. 'Ignore them to the point where they start to doubt their own existence,' to borrow a wonderful phrase I recently read in a very different context. The goading would go on, mind. There's a Scottish 'auditor' who is the absolute master at maximising his pain-in-the-arse potential, and I know just what he'd say to people refusing to give him the time of day. "Not very professional, is it; you refusing to engage with your public like this?" At which point his target should simply smile at him the way you would at a small child stamping his feet at being told it's bedtime, and walk on. As you suggest, best of luck trying to monetise videos of roofs and sweet smiles.

 

[Shopclicks]

There's a Scottish 'auditor' who is the absolute master at maximising his pain-in-the-arse potential

I know the one you mean. Ironically calls his channel Meet the Tyrants. If you don't bite, he'll provoke you until you do. Some of the staff the auditors run into are idiots though. Makes for great entertainment.

 

[fisicx]

What exactly are they auditing?

 

[JeffPWFB]

What exactly are they auditing?

Good question. They are supposed to be all about transparency in public life. In reality, they are all about confrontation and provoking a reaction. 'auditing' in this context should always be in inverted commas.

 

[fisicx]

Good question. They are supposed to be all about transparency in public life. In reality, they are all about confrontation and provoking a reaction. 'auditing' in this context should always be in inverted commas.

So it's really just clickbait. How do you even know you have been 'audited'? Do you get an email or something? I never even watched a tiktok so have no idea how this works.

 

[Shopclicks]

Over here the antagonistic approach hides behind the PINAC (Photography Is Not A Crime) guise. Auditing is what they call it in the U.S. So that carried on over here. They are stress-testing peoples reactions to being recorded. It started with Police Stations, then Job Centres and Council buildings. Now it has stretched out to businesses, football clubs, embassies, Buckingham Palace and the MI5 building. Anywhere that gets a reaction.
Some of the most cringe-worthy videos feature coppers who haven't got a clue about auditing or drone laws.
It's called Auditing for want of a better word.

 

[JeffPWFB]

Classic example of the genre from YouTube. The sport kicks off at the 6:07 mark. This guy doing the filming is a provocation maestro. 'Escalate', 'Back to work' and 'organ-grinder' just a few trademarks from his well-worn script. One day, a real auditor might want to audit how many man-hours these busybodies take up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27UvA8L17KM

 

[Gecko001]

Classic example of the genre from YouTube. The sport kicks off at the 6:07 mark. This guy doing the filming is a provocation maestro. 'Escalate', 'Back to work' and 'organ-grinder' just a few trademarks from his well-worn script. One day, a real auditor might want to audit how many man-hours these busybodies take up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27UvA8

Is this why HS2 costs are going through the roof?

 

[Shopclicks]

Is this why HS2 costs are going through the roof?

Thankfully the cost of a decent drone keeps a lot of idiots away from the game. There are relatively few who have time to build a following and get monetised. There are probably only around 10 'auditors' who make a living from this in the U.K. But those who do, make good money.

And yes, HS2 has been 'audited' several times.

 

[Gecko001]

Thankfully the cost of a decent drone keeps a lot of idiots away from the game. There are relatively few who have time to build a following and get monetised. There are probably only around 10 'auditors' who make a living from this in the U.K. But those who do, make good money.

And yes, HS2 has been 'audited' several times.

Just to be pedantic, the youtube video that @JeffPWFB gave was of someone with a "bat detector" on a building site, hence the HS2 reference. He did not have a drone, but I take your point.

 

[Shopclicks]

Just to be pedantic, the youtube video that @JeffPWFB gave was of someone with a "bat detector" on a building site, hence the HS2 reference. He did not have a drone, but I take your point.

He does fly a drone and is actually one of the better pilots. He just likes to have a reason to walk onto someone's property (even if it's BS). There was a recent one where he had a bird of prey whistle and pretended to be looking for his lost Peregrine Falcon. Gives him something to pad the video out before he gets kicked out. If he can't get to people to antagonise, he gets the drone out and they come to him.

 

[JeffPWFB]

Just to be pedantic, the youtube video that @JeffPWFB gave was of someone with a "bat detector" on a building site, hence the HS2 reference. He did not have a drone, but I take your point.

True, but he does have a drone and is quite prepared to use it. In the interests of karmic equilibrium, I'll throw in this clip of the same man getting his come-uppance at the hands of someone in the haulage industry, who speaks for a rejoicing nation at the 42:20 mark. The rest of the video reveals that the 'auditor's knowledge of the law may not be quite as faultless as his bombast often suggests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22_ixvms1xM

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

W*nkers, the lot of them - and that's the only word to describe them. Including the Scottish knob-jockey Mark Evans (allegedly a convicted sex offender) in the videos above. I haven't seen that video of him getting battered before though, so thanks for that

Another one is Curtis Arnold, who was I believe convicted following the Nicola Bulley case where he was continually flying a drone/trespassing over the search site. Has since changed his name I believe.

I just wish more business owners were clued up. Smile politely, walk away, and let them get on with filming the roof of their building. They'd soon get bored like a naughty child that isn't getting a reaction.

 

[AlanJ1]

W*nkers, the lot of them - and that's the only word to describe them. Including the Scottish knob-jockey Mark Evans (allegedly a convicted sex offender) in the videos above. I haven't seen that video of him getting battered before though, so thanks for that

Another one is Curtis Arnold, who was I believe convicted following the Nicola Bulley case where he was continually flying a drone/trespassing over the search site. Has since changed his name I believe.

I just wish more business owners were clued up. Smile politely, walk away, and let them get on with filming the roof of their building. They'd soon get bored like a naughty child that isn't getting a reaction.

The one that annoys me is that Cyclist Mikey.

 

[Shopclicks]

The one that annoys me is that Cyclist Mikey.

He's not an 'auditor', he's a Legend!

 

[Gecko001]

The one that annoys me is that Cyclist Mikey.

He has been going for quite a while. He annoys me too.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

One of these clowns kicked up a fuss here with local petrol stations because they would not accept some sort of money token that he got from ebay Tesco have banned him

I would love to know if one of these people have received a smack up the chops but they wont put that on YT

 

[FreddyG]

These are the basic rules in the UK -

• No blanket permits for general flights
• No need to notify landowners unless you're landing/taking off on their property
• You do need a CAA Flyer ID and Operator Registration for drones ≥250 g or with cameras
• Stay under 400 ft
• Maintain a line of sight
• Keep required horizontal distances (50 m from people/buildings, 150 m in built-up areas)

It would seem that many or most of these manage to get away with breaking the 50m/150m rule.

 

[Shopclicks]

Keep required horizontal distances (50 m from people/buildings, 150 m in built-up areas)

This rule doesn't apply to drones under 250gm.

 

[paulears]

I loved the DJ Audits one where he was expecting grief from the member of staff running towards him, but the guy said "you're DJ Audits, I watch all your videos, are you putting the drone up? Brilliant" .
It was a very short audit.

 

[scstock]

He's not an 'auditor', he's a Legend!

He's so patronising, I've muted his channel now.

Seems that even the police have now decided that there are better uses of their time than prosecuting people for picking up their phone when stationary with the parking brake on.

 

[Shopclicks]

I loved the DJ Audits one where he was expecting grief from the member of staff running towards him, but the guy said "you're DJ Audits, I watch all your videos, are you putting the drone up? Brilliant" .
It was a very short audit.

I think it's a case of once bitten, twice shy. He's copped a bit of grief from over-the-top aggressive staff. Idiots on both sides of the fence.

 

[JeffPWFB]

I loved the DJ Audits one where he was expecting grief from the member of staff running towards him, but the guy said "you're DJ Audits, I watch all your videos, are you putting the drone up? Brilliant" .
It was a very short audit.

Yup. Take confrontation out of these scenarios and this whole 'auditing' thing will be gone in two years, if that.

 

[glengraving]

The answer is simple - play Disney music as loud as you can from your phone while interacting with these people.
They can't monetize videos with a Disney soundtrack (or similar litigious entity) without getting a copyright strike.

 

[JeffPWFB]

The answer is simple - play Disney music as loud as you can from your phone while interacting with these people.
They can't monetize videos with a Disney soundtrack (or similar litigious entity) without getting a copyright strike.

Genius.