Drone operator stares down a gun barrel after prying into Washington woman's home

A prying drone operator was taught a valuable lesson in respecting people's privacy after nearly having their expensive gadget shot out of the sky.

A video has emerged that shows a drone flying around a woman's home, which The Next Web reports was taken in Washington, US. The drone, which has been equipped with a video camera, is seen hovering above the woman's porch with a clear view into her kitchen.

The woman, who doesn't take too kindly to being bothered by the voyeuristic operator, first tries to get rid of the drone by throwing a couple of rocks at it, before disappearing back inside. When the drone operators fails to get the message, the woman returns to her back porch with a gun and takes aim.

Luckily for the drone operator the woman doesn't appear to take the shot – it's a federal offence to shoot a drone out of the sky in the United States, after all – but it's enough to force the operator to back away sharpish.

Comments left on YouTube chiefly come out in favour of the woman's actions, and condemn the invasive drone owner for prying into her home so shamelessly. "Sadly she missed, it's her own privacy you are breaching, well deserved attitude you f*****g a*****e," wrote one user.

Another YouTuber replied: "She should have taken a picture or video and filed a complaint with the police. It's drone operators like this that make it look bad for all drone operators." They have a point: people will always have a hard time trusting new technology if people use it to exploit the rights of others. And that's bad news for everyone.