Spanish Gov't Wants To Make It A Crime To Photograph Cops
from the freedom-isn't-free dept
We’ve had plenty of stories (mainly in the US) of police overreacting to the public photographing or videotaping them. Thankfully, US courts have been recognizing that recording police on duty is not a crime (and can actually be beneficial in preventing abuse). While we still see frequent reports of police harassing photographers, it does appear that US officials and judges widely support allowing the photography of police, except in extreme circumstances. However, Spain may be going in a different direction. Francisco George points us to the news that the Department of the Interior is proposing a regulation that would make the dissemination of photographs of law enforcement a possible crime. The new rules would prohibit
“the recruitment, reproduction or processing of images, sounds or information of members of the security forces in the exercise of its functions as may endanger life or risk the operation they are developing.”
In other words, they don’t want you to notice them, even if you notice them. This seems ridiculous and clearly goes way too far. If police are out in public, it should be fair game to photograph or videotape them. It may not be smart or particularly helpful in solving crimes, but to claim that such photographs could be illegal seems like a clear attack on free speech.
Filed Under: law enforcement, photographing, spain
Comments on “Spanish Gov't Wants To Make It A Crime To Photograph Cops”
Ripe for abuse
Who wants to bet how long will it take for such law to be abused to hide law enforcement abuses? I’ll bet within a week.
Re: Ripe for abuse
I’ll take the under on that. I say it will happen within 36 hours.
Re: Re: Ripe for abuse
I’d say if it’s anything like the US, an imaginary version of the law is already being used in such a way.
Re: Re: Ripe for abuse
I’m going to say 12 minutes.
Re: Re: Re: Ripe for abuse
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the Plank Time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plank_time
no. in other words, you are not wanted to have any sort of audio or video proof of when the police, as always happens, oversteps the mark and someone else needlessly suffers. if the police were not so incensed in being as heavy handed and ‘right’ all the time, there wouldn’t be a problem. what needs to happen is for one of the dopes that is proposing or in favour of the new law to be a victim. perhaps then they would see sense!
Nest step the governments restrict stories about them to those that they approve of.
I’m sure this has nothing to do with the recent coverage of police beating up people protesting Spain’s austerity measures.
Invisible to the electronic eye.
So if I want to get away with any crime in Spain, I just have to wear a security officer’s uniform?
‘Pictures or it didn’t happen’
Re: Invisible to the electronic eye.
True! But you don’t need no stinkin’ badges.
NOTICE – Thank You For Noticing This Notice…Your Noting It Has Been Noted…And It Has Been Reported To The Authorities
Re: Re:
Well, so long as a you lay down and take it like a Boy Scout, we won’t make you join the Boy Scouts.
Franco is dead. Long live Franco!
I suppose they miss the good old days of Franco and his abusive police force.
free speech, so?
“seems like a clear attack on free speech.”
This is the same Spain that fined two cartoonists 3000 Euros each for a tasteless/silly magazine cover of the prince and princess “trying to create new royalty”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7092866.stm
I thought it was already against the law to photograph police officers (“la Guarda”) in Spain; I know that when I visited there in the 70s and 80s, police would stop you from taking their picture. I think in very rare circumstances, they actually confiscated cameras.
In other words, this may be easier for them because they already have a long history of it….
If they have nothing to hide
then they should not care if they are photographed.
What are they hiding?
This should never be a crime.
Off to the Gulag with you!
Secret Police: tool of totalitarian regimes everywhere and forever.
Tourists...
could then be arrested for taking a picture where a police of security officer just happens to be in the photo. jeez…It’s bad enough that cops arrest you in the U.S., including my home area, Boston, but at least it’s not supposed to be illegal. Making it illegal would certainly make it very difficult to take any photograph.
Corporations are police my friend.
It seems that Francisco Franco y Bahamonde’s facist ideas are still alive and kicking in the Spanish Department of Interior.
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead
Re:
Omni Consumer Products, to the rescue!!