There is worrying new legislation being proposed here in the UK to prevent people taking photographs of children in public places – even if they’re your own children.
I can’t even begin to express just how ludicrous and ill-considered this legislation is. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if further restrictions on amateur photography in public places followed suit – probably to save us all from “terrorism”.
Of course, I’m guessing that councils and the government will continue to be able to store images of children and us in public places via CCTV. Silly me, they’d make sure the new law didn’t apply to them, wouldn’t they?
The e-petition is here. I strongly believe that if you even so much as own a camera and are a UK citizen you should sign this and publicize it as much as you can.
Update: with further investigation, it appears that the petition itself may not be about what it first appears. This article in Amateur Photographer details the confusion that has been caused and states that, on the contrary, the UK government has no such plans to restrict photographers’ rights.
The petition creator, Simon Taylor, explains on his website more about what he intended with the petition and also has a link list of rights violations in the news which make for interesting reading.
Either way, I apologise if I inadvertently mislead anyone with the above blog entry. I’m leaving it as it stands (other than this addendum) as I hate post-event editing at the best of times, and if it shows me up as an idiot then that’s my problem not yours!
But also, the spirit of the post still stands true – our rights are gradually being eroded in the midst of media panic of terrorists or paedophiles and it’s worth being vigilant for those erosions.
It’s also worth reading today’s post on the Digital Photography School blog about Photographers Rights and Photographers Privacy Advice.
However, if you do decide to sign the petition, you should know what you’re really signing for.
Sorry.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Alley Katt // 13th Mar 2007 at 5:32 pm
GRRRRR! Makes my blood boil. People who make these legislations are the ones that need to be checked out. They are probably the ones with something to hide.
I will not stop taking photos of my kids when I am out in a park, at a festival or anywhere. They are my kids, and I will treasure how they are now forever.
2 Kaptain Kobold // 13th Mar 2007 at 6:39 pm
Bugger me, even Thatcher at her most loopy* wouldn’t have countenanced this.
I think I’m going to emigrate.
*Which was very loopy indeed.
3 Paula // 13th Mar 2007 at 11:42 pm
Consider it signed. This is ridiculous beyond all concept. What next? Children are not allowed to leave the house and must be wrapped in cotton wool to ensure continued safety?
4 Ys // 14th Mar 2007 at 9:41 am
Wow, really? My boyfriend has heaps of children in his family and nearly all of them are on my camera at some point during a week!
5 Pewari // 14th Mar 2007 at 1:12 pm
Sorry guys – it seems that the “legislation” proposed has evaporated under further investigation – there was no such legislation. I should have researched in more detail before posting.
However, the Glamorgan council proposal, even though thrown out, does show that these issues *do* crop up and it’s worth protesting such lunacy whenever it rears its head. I’ve left the details of the petition up, but updated the entry with additional background information about what the campaign really is about.
Apologies for any confusion and I’ll check into these things a bit more carefully next time before getting my righteous indignation hat on!
6 Kaptain Kobold // 14th Mar 2007 at 7:24 pm
I still think I’ll emigrate :-)
7 Pewari // 14th Mar 2007 at 7:49 pm
Hehe… that’s cheating ;) You already WERE going to emigrate…
8 Blue Witch // 21st Mar 2007 at 7:24 pm
Gives a whole new meaning to ‘The Nanny State’ that idea…
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