Critical Writing

9/29/2014 Know Your Rights: Photographers

https://www.aclu.org/print/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers 1/3

>> Kno w Y o ur Rights: See mo re essential reso urc es fro m the A CLU

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> Article: Law Enforcement

Harrassment of

Photographers

Know Your Rights: Photographers

(Updated Ju ly 2014)

Taking pho to graphs o f things that are plainly v isible fro m public spac es is a c o nstitutio nal right – and that inc ludes federal buildings, transpo rtatio n fac ilities, and po lic e and o ther go v ernment o ffic ials c arry ing o ut their duties. Unfo rtunately , there is a widespread, c o ntinuing pattern o f law enfo rc ement o ffic ers o rdering peo ple to sto p taking pho to graphs fro m public plac es, and harassing, detaining and arresting tho se who fail to c o mply . Learn mo re »

Y ou r righ ts as a ph otograph er:

Wh en in pu blic spac es wh ere y ou are lawfu lly presen t y ou h av e th e righ t to ph otograph an y th in g th at is in plain v iew. That inc ludes pic tures o f federal buildings, transpo rtatio n fac ilities, and po lic e. Suc h pho to graphy is a fo rm o f public o v ersight o v er the go v ernment and is impo rtant in a free so c iety . Wh en y ou are on priv ate property , th e property own er m ay set ru les abou t th e takin g of ph otograph s. If y o u diso bey the pro perty o wner's rules, they c an o rder y o u o ff their pro perty (and hav e y o u arrested fo r trespassing if y o u do no t c o mply ). Polic e offic ers m ay n ot c on fisc ate or dem an d to v iew y ou r digital ph otograph s or v ideo with ou t a warran t. The Supreme Co urt has ruled that po lic e may no t searc h y o ur c ell pho ne when they arrest y o u, unless they get a warrant. A ltho ugh the c o urt did no t spec ific ally rule o n whether law enfo rc ement may searc h o ther elec tro nic dev ic es suc h as a standalo ne c amera, the A CLU believ es that the c o nstitutio n bro adly prev ents warrantless searc hes o f y o ur digital data. It is po ssible that c o urts may appro v e the tempo rary warrantless seizure o f a c amera in c ertain ex treme “ex igent” c irc umstanc es suc h as where nec essary to sav e a life, o r where po lic e hav e a reaso nable, go o d-faith belief that do ing so is nec essary to prev ent the destruc tio n o f ev idenc e o f a c rime while they seek a warrant. Polic e m ay n ot delete y ou r ph otograph s or v ideo u n der an y c irc u m stan c es. Offic ers hav e fac ed felo ny c harges o f ev idenc e tampering as well as o bstruc tio n and theft fo r taking a pho to grapher’s memo ry c ard. Polic e offic ers m ay legitim ately order c itizen s to c ease ac tiv ities th at are tru ly in terferin g with legitim ate law en forc em en t operation s. Pro fessio nal o ffic ers, ho wev er, realize that suc h o peratio ns are subjec t to public sc rutiny , inc luding by c itizens pho to graphing them. Note th at th e righ t to ph otograph does n ot giv e y ou a righ t to break an y oth er laws. Fo r ex ample, if y o u are trespassing to take pho to graphs, y o u may still be c harged with trespass.

Using the A CLU’s “ Kno w Y o ur Rights: Pho to graphers” reso urc e, HitRec o rd – a c o llabo rativ e artist pro duc tio n c o mpany – pro duc ed an animated v ideo abo ut the right to pho to graph in public , featuring music by the Grego ry Bro thers and direc ted by ac to r Jo seph Go rdo n-Lev itt:

9/29/2014 Know Your Rights: Photographers

https://www.aclu.org/print/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers 2/3

I f y ou are stopped or detain ed for takin g ph otograph s:

A lway s remain po lite and nev er phy sic ally resist a po lic e o ffic er. If sto pped fo r pho to graphy , the right questio n to ask is, "am I free to go ?" If the o ffic er say s no , then y o u are being detained, so mething that under the law an o ffic er c anno t do witho ut reaso nable suspic io n that y o u hav e o r are abo ut to c o mmit a c rime o r are in the pro c ess o f do ing so . Until y o u ask to leav e, y o ur being sto pped is c o nsidered v o luntary under the law and is legal. If y o u are detained, po litely ask what c rime y o u are suspec ted o f c o mmitting, and remind the o ffic er that taking pho to graphs is y o ur right under the First A mendment and do es no t c o nstitute reaso nable suspic io n o f c riminal ac tiv ity .

Spec ial c on sideration s wh en v ideotapin g:

With regards to v ideo taping, there is an impo rtant legal distinc tio n between a v isual pho to graphic rec o rd (fully pro tec ted) and the audio po rtio n o f a v ideo tape, whic h so me states hav e tried to regulate under state wiretapping laws.

Suc h laws are generally intended to ac c o mplish the impo rtant priv ac y -pro tec ting go al o f pro hibiting audio "bugging" o f priv ate c o nv ersatio ns. Ho wev er, in nearly all c ases audio rec o rding the po lic e is legal. In states that allo w rec o rding with the c o nsent o f just o ne party to the c o nv ersatio n, y o u c an tape y o ur o wn interac tio ns with o ffic ers witho ut v io lating wiretap statutes (sinc e y o u are o ne o f the parties). In situatio ns where y o u are an o bserv er but no t a part o f the c o nv ersatio n, o r in states where all parties to a c o nv ersatio n must c o nsent to taping, the legality o f taping will depend o n whether the state's pro hibitio n o n taping applies o nly when there is a reaso nable ex pec tatio n o f priv ac y . But no state c o urt has held that po lic e o ffic ers perfo rming their jo b in public hav e a reaso nable ex pec tatio n. The A CLU believ es that laws that ban the taping o f public o ffic ials' public statements witho ut their c o nsent v io late the First A mendment. A summary o f state wiretapping laws c an be fo und here.

Ph otograph y at th e airport

Pho to graphy has also serv ed as an impo rtant c hec k o n go v ernment po wer in the airline sec urity c o ntex t.

The Transpo rtatio n Sec urity A dministratio n (TSA ) ac kno wledges that pho to graphy is permitted in and aro und airline sec urity c hec kpo ints as lo ng as y o u're no t interfering with the sc reening pro c ess. The TSA do es ask that its sec urity mo nito rs no t be pho to graphed, tho ugh it is no t c lear whether they hav e any legal basis fo r suc h a restric tio n when the mo nito rs are plainly v iewable by the trav eling public .

See v ideo

P r i v a cy sta tem en t. Th i s em bed wi l l ser v e con ten t f r om y ou tu be.com .

9/29/2014 Know Your Rights: Photographers

https://www.aclu.org/print/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers 3/3

The TSA also warns that lo c al o r airpo rt regulatio ns may impo se restric tio ns that the TSA do es no t. It is diffic ult to determine if any lo c alities o r airpo rt autho rities ac tually hav e suc h rules. If y o u are to ld y o u c anno t take pho to graphs in an airpo rt y o u sho uld ask what the legal autho rity fo r that rule is.

T h e A CL U does n ot believ e th at restric tion s on ph otograph y in th e pu blic areas of pu blic ly operated airports are c on stitu tion al.

Published o n A meric an Civ il Liberties Unio n (https://www.ac lu.o rg) Sou rc e URL : https://www.ac lu.o rg/free-speec h/kno w-y o ur-rights-pho to graphers