3.31.2008

What The Courts Think Can and Can't Be Recorded in Public

I'm sure there a lot of videos of cheerleading competitions. What I am not so sure about is why this man has been charged for possession of child pornography. He hid a camera to film the competition. I think the man certainly has issues, but I don't know that he is a criminal. Maybe there is more to the story than they are reporting.


Another story makes this whole issue even more confusing:

"The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that a charge against a man accused of 'situating a camera underneath the skirt of an unsuspecting customer' must be dismissed because it had occurred in a public place. " (Full Story)

So let me get this straight: Our legal system says it's OK to take pictures up the skirt of a woman in public, but it's not OK to film a cheerleading competition. Sure, different states = different laws, but something about this doesn't seem right to me.

In case anyone was wondering, I don't believe additional laws is a good way to deal with "upskirt" pictures. Personally, I think modesty would do a better job of preventing them.

[Picture via Varsity]