Photography: Against the Law!

Ever since the events of 9-11, our world has changed in many ways. In the effort of fighting terrorism, individual freedoms and rights have taken a beating, and so have a fair number of photographers. Security personnel, from both the private and government sectors, have acted against working photojournalists and amateur photographers when they have been caught taking photographs in public settings. Cameras have been confiscated, people have been beaten and intimidated, and some have even been arrested. The idea is that terrorists could be taking photos of potential targets for terrorism, as part of their planning, though it is my understanding that no evidence of this picture-taking behavior has ever been found with any terrorists. In the past few years, police personnel here in the States have even been caught harassing citizens who try to photograph or record public police actions. This is a bad trend for any democracy and it seems to be happening all over the world, particularly in England and here in the USA. JPG Magazine has published an article on this topic and you can learn more about it here.