Photography Ban in Public Places

[firecracker]

Btw I would be very curious how they would prevent people taking photographs with cellphones.

Whether you have a camera or not, they will just grab you, and you'll be locked up somewhere for a long time. That's all.

[bjorke]

There is a technology available that allows locations to broadcast commands to celphones in the area, so that the camera is simply inoperable when the phone is within the specified zone.

This was made public around Deember or so, and the baddest news is that this technology had already been installed in millions of the phones, already in service, before the announcement came.

This is similar to the discovery last year by the EFF that color photocopiers save subtle but FBI-traceable serial number info in the dither pattern of the yellow dots. This bit of steganography had been going on for years without the public's knowledge. Law enforcement can look at a color photocopy and go directly to the manufacturer and the service records of the machine to discover information about who made that copy.

Quite a lot of this stuff goes on. If you're of a forging mind, try scanning a dollar bill in Photoshop some time -- find out what happens. Your attempt will be detected and halted (the US Treasury website can provide you with legally-safe images of currency to use instead).

Feeling safe and happy about all that pr0n you've got stashed on external drive J: now?

What's uncertain is whether these anti-phone fields will be mobile -- say, attached to Jessica Simpson's car -- or whether such un-announced fields will be generally legal -- would your rights be infringed if, while having a romantic anniversary dinner with your mistress, you were unable to make a celphone snap of her simply because Justin Timberlake was lurking in some corner of the same restaurant?

[Rob Archer]

Does anyone, anywhere have any solid official information about any proposed legislation? I've searched everywhere on the web, contacted my MP and another MP in who is close to the cabinet. It appears that this paranoia is a throwback to an article in one of the red-tops a few years ago(The Daily Express, I think) reporting that the government was to follow France in restricting photography in public places. It was denied then as being unnecessary and unworkable. (I understand the ban in France may be abandoned as unenforcable - anybody got any info on that?)

Most of the problems reported are due to overzealous jobsworths and genuinely concerned parents. To my mind anyone who deliberately photographs children without their parents consent is asking for trouble. Jobsworths can usually be dealt with by asking for their ID, their manager's phone number and suggesting calling the police to sort it out.

I used to be paranoid but 'they' told me I wasn't anymore!

Rob

[Andy K]

I think any ban on photography in 'sensitive' areas, anywhere in the world, is pointless.

Have these people not heard of Google Earth?

[Jay in LA]

Here is a video in today's Guardian about a street photographer taking pictures during the Christmas holiday season. It's a little over ten minutes long.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2...t-photographer

[w9cae]

Watching that video gave me chills.

[Jeff Kubach]

Thanks Jay for posting that video. I can't believe that really happen. I hope that doesn't spread.

Jeff

[mike c]

Unless something like this is put in the news paper or television very few people know or care .And if its put on the news reel will the head line read photographer jailed
on suspicious behavior or Police harass innocent photographer?

Mike