Those evil cameras again



Photography is under official attack worldwide and the attack now looks like being ramped up in Victoria. No-one could object to the banning of peeping Tom cameras but that reference is just camouflage. People can be and have been prosecuted for that under existing laws. The laws proposed seem very wide in their scope and clearly infringe people's right to know about things that might be dangerous to them -- such as police misbehaviour. The "inappropriate recording of individuals in public places" provision would be a Godsend to thug cops. In many jurisdictions they already claim that all filming of police work is inappropriate

Peeping tom cameras would be officially outlawed in toilets and change rooms, and filming street brawls for entertainment would be made a criminal offence, under proposed tougher surveillance laws.

The Victorian Law Reform Commission has also called for the appointment of an independent watchdog to regulate the use of CCTV cameras and other surveillance devices in public places.

In its inquiry into surveillance in public places, the commission found privacy had been eroded by the proliferation of surveillance devices, including airport screening that can see through clothing, and laws had failed to keep pace with technological advancement.

The commission has recommended a suite of new laws under the Surveillance Devices Act to ban the inappropriate recording of individuals in public places. This would include outlawing surveillance in toilets and change rooms, and prohibiting filming violence for entertainment or to intimidate, for example filming someone attending an abortion clinic or drug rehabilitation.

The commission also wants to introduce provisions for civil lawsuits for individuals who have been victims of "serious invasions of privacy" through either misuse of private information or intrusion. "Although appropriate guidance is a cornerstone of our recommendations, guidance alone cannot protect people from some practices that seriously affect their privacy," the commission's report, tabled in state parliament today, says.

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