Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/06/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Jun 14, 2008, at 9:23 PM, Sanjay Nasta wrote: > Forgive the long post, I thought it was worth a read amen, thanks Sanjay...Steve > > > The War on Photography > > > > What is it with photographers these days? Are they really all > terrorists, or does everyone just think they are? > > Since 9/11, there has been an increasing war on photography. > Photographers have been harassed, questioned, detained, arrested or > worse, and declared to be unwelcome. We've been repeatedly told to > watch > out for photographers, especially suspicious ones. Clearly any > terrorist > is going to first photograph his target, so vigilance is required. > > Except that it's nonsense. The 9/11 terrorists didn't photograph > anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid subway > bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh > didn't > photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The Unabomber didn't > photograph anything; neither did shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Photographs > aren't being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. > The IRA wasn't known for its photography. Even those manufactured > terrorist plots that the US government likes to talk about -- the Ft. > Dix terrorists, the JFK airport bombers, the Miami 7, the Lackawanna 6 > -- no photography. > > Given that real terrorists, and even wannabe terrorists, don't seem to > photograph anything, why is it such pervasive conventional wisdom that > terrorists photograph their targets? Why are our fears so great that > we > have no choice but to be suspicious of any photographer? > > Because it's a movie-plot threat. > > A movie-plot threat is a specific threat, vivid in our minds like the > plot of a movie. You remember them from the months after the 9/11 > attacks: anthrax spread from crop dusters, a contaminated milk supply, > terrorist scuba divers armed with almanacs. Our imaginations run wild > with detailed and specific threats, from the news, and from actual > movies and television shows. These movie plots resonate in our minds > and > in the minds of others we talk to. And many of us get scared. > > Terrorists taking pictures is a quintessential detail in any good > movie. > Of course it makes sense that terrorists will take pictures of their > targets. They have to do reconnaissance, don't they? We need 45 > minutes > of television action before the actual terrorist attack -- 90 > minutes if > it's a movie -- and a photography scene is just perfect. It's our > movie-plot terrorists that are photographers, even if the real-world > ones are not. > > The problem with movie-plot security is it only works if we guess the > plot correctly. If we spend a zillion dollars defending Wimbledon and > terrorists blow up a different sporting event, that's money wasted. If > we post guards all over the Underground and terrorists bomb a crowded > shopping area, that's also a waste. If we teach everyone to be alert > for > photographers, and terrorists don't take photographs, we've wasted > money > and effort, and taught people to fear something they shouldn't. > > And even if terrorists did photograph their targets, the math doesn't > make sense. Billions of photographs are taken by honest people every > year, 50 billion by amateurs alone in the US. And the national > monuments > you imagine terrorists taking photographs of are the same ones > tourists > like to take pictures of. If you see someone taking one of those > photographs, the odds are infinitesimal that he's a terrorist. > > Of course, it's far easier to explain the problem than it is to fix > it. > Because we're a species of storytellers, we find movie-plot threats > uniquely compelling. A single vivid scenario will do more to convince > people that photographers might be terrorists than all the data I can > muster to demonstrate that they're not. > > Fear aside, there aren't many legal restrictions on what you can > photograph from a public place that's already in public view. If > you're > harassed, it's almost certainly a law enforcement official, public or > private, acting way beyond his authority. There's nothing in any > post-9/11 law that restricts your right to photograph. > > This is worth fighting. Search "photographer rights" on Google and > download one of the several wallet documents that can help you if you > get harassed; I found one for the UK, US, and Australia. Don't cede > your > right to photograph in public. Don't propagate the terrorist > photographer story. Remind them that prohibiting photography was > something we used to ridicule about the USSR. Eventually sanity will > be > restored, but it may take a while. > > Incidents and anti-photography campaigns: > http://nycphotorights.com/wordpress/?p=110 > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://nycphotorights.com/wordpress/?p=110 > > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7351252.stm > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7351252.stm > > > > http://www.allensphotoblog.com/blog1/2007/09/photography_terrorism.html > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.allensphotoblog.com/blog1/2007/09/photography_terrorism.html > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/4owutd > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/4owutd > > > > http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/06/the-crime-of-ph.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/06/the-crime-of-ph.html > > > > http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/10/the-crime-of-ph.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/10/the-crime-of-ph.html > > > > http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/09/the-crime-of-ph.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/09/the-crime-of-ph.html > > > > http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/11/the-crime-of-ph.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://flash.popphoto.com/blog/2007/11/the-crime-of-ph.html > > > > http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/war_and_peace/every_day_diplomacy.php > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/war_and_peace/every_day_diplomacy.php > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/3x5f6c > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/3x5f6c > > > > http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/14/bb-reader-two-fbi-ag.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/14/bb-reader-two-fbi-ag.html > > > > http://www.andycarvin.com/archives/2008/05/almost_arrested_for_taking_photos_at_uni.html > > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.andycarvin.com/archives/2008/05/almost_arrested_for_taking_photos_at_uni.html > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/6dq3ea > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/6dq3ea > > > > http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/05/union_station_photo_follies.html > > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/05/union_station_photo_follies.html > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/5rp2zb > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/5rp2zb > > > > http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Antiterror_police_defend_campaign_targeting_suspicious_behaviour_of_people_with_cameras_news_195594.html > > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Antiterror_police_defend_campaign_targeting_suspicious_behaviour_of_people_with_cameras_news_195594.html > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/28qq9x > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/28qq9x > > > > http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/ > 0,23739,23553587-952,00.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23553587-952,00.html > > > > http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2006/02/10/askthepilot173/index.html > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2006/02/10/askthepilot173/index.html > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/4x7v8z > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/4x7v8z > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/arts/design/20shat.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1210125984-qrPPfpI/kDlEi+wMrOvtEA > > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/arts/design/20shat.html?_r=1%26adxnnl=1%26oref=slogin%26adxnnlx=1210125984-qrPPfpI/kDlEi%2BwMrOvtEA > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/5w9c3n > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/5w9c3n > > > > http://lightchasersphotography.com/blog/how-to-shoot-photographs-like-a-terrorist/ > > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://lightchasersphotography.com/blog/how-to-shoot-photographs-like-a-terrorist/ > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/58qz56 > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/58qz56 > > > > http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%3A41348 > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%253A41348 > > > > > "Nonsense": > http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/03/uk-politician-c.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/03/uk-politician-c.html > > > > > Fake terrorist plots in the US: > http://www.schneier.com/essay-174.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.schneier.com/essay-174.html > > > > > Movie-plot threats: > http://www.schneier.com/essay-087.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.schneier.com/essay-087.html > > > > > Data on photographs in the US: > http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/05/fashion/thursdaystyles/ > 05photos.html > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/05/fashion/thursdaystyles/05photos.html > > > > > Photographers' rights: > http://www.sirimo.co.uk/ukpr.php > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.sirimo.co.uk/ukpr.php > > > > http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm > > > > http://www.kantor.com/blog/2005/12/legal-rights-of-photographers/ > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.kantor.com/blog/2005/12/legal-rights-of-photographers/ > > > > http://www.artslaw.com.au/_documents/files/StreetPhotographersRights.pdf > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.artslaw.com.au/_documents/files/StreetPhotographersRights.pdf > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/6kyc7m > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/6kyc7m > > > > > A comment from someone who trains security guards: > http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/06/the_war_on_phot.html#c275864 > > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/06/the_war_on_phot.html%23c275864 > > > > or http://tinyurl.com/6on7tr > <https://exchange.microassist.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://tinyurl.com/6on7tr > > > > > This essay originally appeared in The Guardian: > http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/05/news.terrorism > > > MicroAssist, Inc. > 3420 Executive Center Drive, Suite G100 Austin, TX 78731 > http://www.microassist.net > Phone: (512) 794-8440 > Fax: (512) 794-8742 > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information