Ask HN: Privacy laws: Can a stranger video record you in public without consent? - seesawtron
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dijit
It depends on where you live, like most things that are a law.

For the UK and USA it is true that you can be publicly recorded with no real
recourse unless you can tie it to something like harassment, sexual or
otherwise.

In Sweden it is illegal to record public places with static cameras, and I
highly suspect that the Swedish police/court system would side with you if you
decided to pursue a punitive measure of some kind to someone who is fragrantly
denying a request not to be recorded.

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seesawtron
Appears to be the same in Germany where there's freedom of panorama: art and
architecture that is permanently in public space might be photographed and the
pictures published without the artist's consent.

It gets complicated when people are photographed. You're allowed to take
pictures of crowds at events, but you are not allowed to take pictures of
individuals.

I could never have imagined that calling the police to protect yourself from
being recorded could ruin your whole life (you know what I am talking about,
ofcourse that's just one part of the fiasco that's been overlooked).

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blaser-waffle
In the US and much of Canada you can generally record someone in public, if
there is no expectation of privacy -- e.g. someone on the street can see into
your yard.

Some of the provinces in Canada have more nuanced rules, and I believe Quebec
is the strictest in that you can't have cameras pointed at someone's windows.

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anewdirection
In the USA, anything seen from a public space, including the air, the
street/sidewalk, even aimed at your yard, is legal. In most cases you can even
film on someones private property if there is easement. There are exceptions,
but rarely. Privacy was assumed, but never protected here.

