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Citizens Spy On Big Brother

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the they-love-that dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Citizens of the world are striking back at 24/7 state surveillance by pulling out their cameraphones and filming inept officials, deadly healthcare lapses and thuggish cops. So-called Sous-veillance is seeing more and more people posting damning footage of official misdemenours to sites such as YouTube to shame them into action." I wonder what happens if you inform a cop that you are recording him when he pulls you over.

9 of 719 comments (clear)

  1. You wonder? by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Informative
    "I wonder what happens if you inform a cop that you are recording him when he pulls you over."

    Oh..that's simple...camera mysteriously gets dropped and smashed on the ground (probably while you are being slammed against the car), and you get charged first with obstructing justice...with more charges to follow later as they have time to think them up.

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    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    1. Re:You wonder? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yeah, like the guy who refused to give the cops the video footage of them coming to his door when he informed them that he had a camera and a tape and they arrested him and beat him? I mean, theres not much left to wonder about, welcome to Amerika.

      Posted anonymous for obvious reasons.

    2. Re:You wonder? by betterunixthanunix · · Score: 5, Informative

      Pretty much. Cops have a lot of leeway when it comes to knocking over your camera in the course of an arrest or ticket, especially at an event where there is already some misbehavior from the police. Try filming a protest where the cops start throwing tear gas; unless you have your camera affixed to a telescope and you're on a hill far away, chances are that a cop is gonna "firmly grasp" the arm holding the camera, and the camera will end up on the ground waiting to be destroyed. We had a protest a few months ago at my university that ended up like that; only one fragmented video escaped.

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      Palm trees and 8
    3. Re:You wonder? by wiggles · · Score: 5, Informative

      Then you hear stories like the one about the 16 year old kid with the broken back who was tasered 19 times by the police for failing to stand up when ordered

    4. Re:You wonder? by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Informative
      "Yeah, like the guy who refused to give the cops the video footage of them coming to his door when he informed them that he had a camera and a tape and they arrested him and beat him?"

      Yeah, I'm not sure why this was modded troll either...I mean, this story was published on Slashdot awhile back. Actually, there are two of them on that subject here at a home and here filming a car pullover.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    5. Re:You wonder? by mi · · Score: 5, Informative

      Oh..that's simple...camera mysteriously gets dropped and smashed on the ground

      No. What's more likely is that the officer starts acting with utmost professionalism, smiles, and fines you for various things, with which he would not have bothered otherwise. He is also going to take his sweet time issuing the ticket(s) — especially if you commit another folly by indicating, that you are in a hurry. (12 years ago I did that, and the pig took 40 minutes to issue the citation.)

      If it is illegal in your locale to record people without warning, put a notice about recording on your window — he is not going to notice it, but you'll be covered — do not bring it to his attention. In general, do not argue with the policemen. All arguments should happen in court.

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      In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
  2. Depends on the cop by TubeSteak · · Score: 5, Informative

    I wonder what happens if you inform a cop that you are recording him when he pulls you over.

    Almost all of them will ask you to stop recording.
    Some will physically block the camera.
    Very few will try to take your camera from you.

    Police (and security guards) will do this with varying levels of anger and threats.

    The only two things that matter are:
    1. You are on public property
    2. You are not filming/photographing something you legally cannot (like a port or inside a mall)

    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  3. don't inform the cop you're recording him. by jgaynor · · Score: 5, Informative

    "I wonder what happens if you inform a cop that you are recording him when he pulls you over."

    Beats me, but apparently it's more fun (and career-lethal) to film him without notification.

  4. The Case of Brett Darrow by not_hylas(+) · · Score: 5, Informative

    Q. I wonder what happens if you inform a cop that you are recording him when he pulls you over.

    A. The case of Brett Darrow, Missouri:

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2715792117793977759&

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5591813350444656353&q=source:010563705515560372049&hl=en

    http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/100907Motorist.htm

    Any other questions?, I got a whole folder dedicated to "official" ABUSE.

    Related:

    http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/174096756/m/128000201931?r=261000401931#261000401931

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    ~hylas