Are photoghraphers really a threat?

[Steve Smith]

Interesting Article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/05/news.terrorism

A refreshing change to the usual alarmist stuff.



Steve.

 

[bobwysiwyg]

Sadly, the passage and enforcement of the Patriot Act in the U.S. makes any wallet sized document moot. You can flash it to anyone who happens by your detention cell.

 

[Uhner]

Refreshing indeed.

 

[pentaxuser]

Refreshing indeed but it won't last. A bit of wisdom and truth from one newspaper against all the might of most of rest of the tabloid media. No contest.

pentaxuser

 

[gr82bart]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/05/news.terrorism An article on a groundless we fear we already knew.

Regards, Art.

 

[Ian Grant]

You're a bit late that link's been posted here before. So it's old news.

I'm more worried by the subversives who post on APUG

Ian

 

[DannL]

Whenever I want to see a picture of something I just Google it. Don't the bad guys have internet access?

. . . or you can Google Earth it.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Threads merged.

 

[Andy K]

Are photographers a threat?

... I don't think so.

 

[Ian Leake]

This guy looks very dodgy. Perhaps we should only be worried about medium format photographers?

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I'm not a threat. Unless you're between me and my chili cheese dog.

 

[gr82bart]

The war on photography (not to mention diplomacy and civility) continues ... this article, if true, angers me the more I think about it.

http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/war_and_peace/every_day_diplomacy.php

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

The madness continues ... I'm waiting for the little red book to be passed out to each citizen to turn in their neighbours who have photographic projects.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/a...1210125984-qrPPfpI/kDlEi+wMrOvtEA&oref=slogin

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

Even the Aussies have adopted the madness ...

Dead Link Removed

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

Hmm ... when the economy is this bad, do we really want to harass tourists by equating all of them to terrorists?

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid:41348

Regards, Art.

 

[walter23]

Since 9/11, there has been an increasing war on photography. Photographers have been harrassed, 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.

Sometimes I wonder if this isn't a matter of the FBI and CIA and such powers confusing photographers with terrorists as much as willful and diabolical preludes to the stifling of photojournalism and the press. A test run, so to speak, for someone's fascist plans. Just the paranoiac in the corner of my mind speaking here, but it makes some amount of sense. Look at how photographers have been treated by police departments lately, for example, and imagine a hypothetical scenario whereby police are mistreating some individual and the press is trying to photograph it.

 

[gr82bart]

Well, it's official according to the US Coast Guard, we're all to be reported for suspicious activity ... the little red book on the net?

http://www.uscg.mil/d5/sector/delawarebay/Suspicious_Activity.htm

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

Look at how photographers have been treated by police departments lately, for example, and imagine a hypothetical scenario whereby police are mistreating some individual and the press is trying to photograph it.

Maybe you aren't paranoid after all. One photographer fights back ...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004003761_photographer09m.html

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

Well, now this is just comedy if true ... http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1833

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

What can I say? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/24/AR2007092401521.html?sub=new

Regards, Art.

 

[Ian Leake]

We see the same nonsense over here. When our society abandons its values of freedom, self expression and openness, the people who hate these values have won. The West didn't win the Cold War by spying on its population, interning foreigners without trial, and giving authoritarian powers to every uniformed thug and bully. We won because our system is inherently stronger and more enduring than Communism was. Education, wealth and freedom of speech are far more powerful weapons in the clash of cultures than uniforms and cluster bombs. The morally corrupt politicians who play on our fears by exaggerating the threat of "terrorism" for narrow political advantage have a lot to answer for.

 

[nc5p]

I get so mad about this stuff. But as mad as I get, I have a professional job for a major company, a house to pay for, a wife, and three kids to support. All those would be taken away if I did what I really wanted to. So my camera stays at home in the drawer. I get it out to photograph the sunset, clouds, or other sights from my own home. But I don't go out "looking for trouble" anymore. There's just too much to lose at this stage in life. I believe that's were they have us all. Just try to get an engineering job after being convicted of assaulting a police officer. The goons win every time. I believe many other people are in the same boat. We don't stand up to the filthy goons like the ones on that train because we know the price we will pay. So they keep on doing their dirty deeds. Someday I hope they shall pay.

 

[Deleted member 19578]

Brings to mind this Wikipedia page: First, they came...

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;

And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;

And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;

And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

 

[Steve Hamley]

The War On Photography

Here's a link to Bruce Schneier's Cryptogram (security) newsletter, which contains an excellent article on the current photographic paranoia.

http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0806.html

Cheers,

Steve

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

That's the same article as the one that appeared in the Guardian recently, so I've merged the two threads. The version that Steve Hamley posted contains many useful links as well.