US to ban up-skirt voyeur photos

Stealth porn clampdown protects privacy

By Lucy Sherriff • Get more from this author

Posted in Mobile, 13th May 2004 11:13 GMT

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The US moved closer today to banning so-called "up-skirt" photography, under the proposed Video Voyeurism Prevention Act.

The bill specifically bans deliberately taking pictures of an unconsenting "individual's naked or undergarment clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast...under circumstances in which that individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy regarding such body part or parts".

Translating from the wonderfully colourful legalese, this means that if you go outside, no one is allowed to stick a camera up your skirt and take a picture. It also says you have a right to privacy in places where you would normally take your clothes off without being watched, such as hotel rooms, changing areas in gyms and clothes shops and so on.

It was proposed last year in response to the increase in covertly-taken snap of bums and cleavage posted to porn websites. Taking the pictures has become easier as camera phones and similar technology gets more accessible.

Voyeuristic photographers armed with camera phones have become such a problem in some areas that gym chains have banned members from using mobile phones. ®