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Government Targets “People Taking Photos of Public Spaces” in Awareness Video

August 16, 2012 By Eric Reagan

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWaPp-8k2p0&w=640&h=360]

Not only does this video win the cheesy award, but the advice it gives to the target audience (apparently those with drastically reduced IQs) flags warning signs for things both pro and amateur photographers do on a daily basis.

Not really what we need the government telling us right now given the current attitude of law enforcement to photographers in public spaces.

[via Chase Jarvis]

Filed Under: Legal Tagged With: first amendment, law, Photographers, rights

 

Comments

  1. kdsand says

    August 16, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    Ah made for/by Houston. The video may be justified if there are some very stupid terrorist. They all stood out like a sore thumb. The part about the cameras was probably the stupidest – saying how the cameras are everywhere but they can also be used for terrorist activities what a joke and if it is a terrorist they’re not going to go around with a notebook lookin real obvious oh come on.

    I actually wish finding dangerous individuals was that simple and obvious

  2. Peter Wong says

    August 16, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    Wow, they do that now in China. Yeah lets just be like them, fuck your freedom, free speech and gathering in public places.
    All those who died in wwII are rolling over in their graves.

  3. EricB says

    August 16, 2012 at 8:42 pm

    Taken at face value it is indeed an epic fail. However I would imagine it is a first move in a far longer game plan, for example (just a wild one) softening opinions on gun control.

  4. Ashley says

    August 17, 2012 at 12:44 am

    You know, its funny but I’ve taken pictures all over the place in the last three years in the US, Canada and home here in Australia – and no one has ever bothered me. I guess middle aged pot bellied men are not in the profile. As for this clip, what it advocates is quite correct – it comes across as being corny but it has to reach a wide range of social and linguistic levels.

  5. LukeB says

    August 17, 2012 at 12:48 am

    The government has a vested interested in keeping people worried about terrorism – they can justify larger budgets. And, our new national police force (DHS). The founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.

  6. richard says

    August 17, 2012 at 3:07 am

    this country is becoming more and more like a communist country……TO BAD

  7. richard says

    August 17, 2012 at 3:14 am

    and we continue to support the useless immigrants……STUPID

  8. R.B. says

    August 17, 2012 at 8:20 am

    All of this applies with one exception….illegal immigrants.

  9. Doug U says

    August 17, 2012 at 8:38 am

    The photography surveillance and information gathering is a joke. I’m thinking the real deal would just use Google earth and Street view from the comfort of their living room.

  10. Robert says

    August 17, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    Who do you call when the powers that be are the terrorist?

  11. mmdccbslm says

    August 17, 2012 at 5:13 pm

    at least they got it right about the look of the terrrrrist.

  12. Tom says

    August 20, 2012 at 12:00 am

    While we don’t want to turn into a nation of watchers, the situation addressed here, while quite rare, still demands at least an awareness. Yeah, the vid can seem a bit silly! But if we do see a guy wearing a heavy coat on a hot day, what to do? The dilemma: The billions of people out in public on a beautiful day versus a touch of public awareness. Maybe it’s impossible to make a video about this without being silly. But what’s the anti-immigrant stuff about in certain comments? That’s just far-right bigotry with no connection to the issue.

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