This is much more dangerous that most people realize because this is a trend in law enforcement.
I am an artist in Chicago threatened with the very same offense. I was arrested while testing the misdemeanor peddlers license requirement in Chicago for selling art for $1 on State Street in the downtown area. Because I audio-recorded my own arrest in order to collect evidence of what happened during my arrest I was charged with a 1st class felony for violating the arresting officers privacy rights. As noted in this discussion, police officers on duty in public arresting people are not acting privately and the State does not accord them privacy rights while on duty.
Yet, three States are testing new wiretapping laws, Maryland, Massachusetts and Illinois, with the idea being that if they are able to take our 1st Amendment right to watch our public officials (mainly police) away from us they can neutralize the threat of citizens using cell phone technology to gather information to protect themselves from a budding police state. We must establish our right to use our technology to protect ourselves. That is what is at stake. This is a fault line, one side is a police state and the other is democracy. you can read more about my case by googling "Chris Drew eavesdropping" or visit my website at http://www.c-drew.com/blog where I explain lots of interesting First Amendment issues.
Sincerely,
Chris Drew
Slashdot Mirror
This is much more dangerous that most people realize because this is a trend in law enforcement. I am an artist in Chicago threatened with the very same offense. I was arrested while testing the misdemeanor peddlers license requirement in Chicago for selling art for $1 on State Street in the downtown area. Because I audio-recorded my own arrest in order to collect evidence of what happened during my arrest I was charged with a 1st class felony for violating the arresting officers privacy rights. As noted in this discussion, police officers on duty in public arresting people are not acting privately and the State does not accord them privacy rights while on duty. Yet, three States are testing new wiretapping laws, Maryland, Massachusetts and Illinois, with the idea being that if they are able to take our 1st Amendment right to watch our public officials (mainly police) away from us they can neutralize the threat of citizens using cell phone technology to gather information to protect themselves from a budding police state. We must establish our right to use our technology to protect ourselves. That is what is at stake. This is a fault line, one side is a police state and the other is democracy. you can read more about my case by googling "Chris Drew eavesdropping" or visit my website at http://www.c-drew.com/blog where I explain lots of interesting First Amendment issues. Sincerely, Chris Drew