While there are guidelines put in place by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority dictating where and when drones can be flown, it is unlikely that users are aware of them.

And even if private citizens flying drones do know the rules there is little reason for users to abide by them.

As there are limited ways of monitoring drone use it is hard to imagine residents will be punished for breaking the rules except in high visibility instances.

Such was the case earlier this year when a drone was flown over the Easter egg hunt at the National Library.

Fines range from hundreds of dollars to $10,000 for serious safety breaches.

The authority has handed out only 12 fines relating to drone use this year but said it has received on average one complaint a week.

It is likely drones are upsetting a great many more people than this number suggests, given not everyone would register an official complaint or know how to.

While drones do present an opportunity for exciting and beneficial uses, such as the trial at Googong that delivered medicine and other items to rural households, there is no doubt they also present a challenge.

Possible security concerns and privacy breaches are two big issues that need to be examined by those in charge of regulation.

The instance of a privacy breach described by a Gordon resident in The Sunday Canberra Times is extremely concerning.

Drones in constant use around the area are said to be flying near homes and shining lights into houses.

This is a shocking breach of privacy and an act that could have wider ramifications for the territory if this was to become commonplace.

Canberrans have the right to feel safe in their own homes and be free from an invasion of privacy like this.

We can only hope that as drone use becomes more frequent that regulations around their use are well known and rogue operators are caught and appropriately punished.