Originally Posted by lisa67

A couple of year's ago pictures of my daughter and some of her friends appeared on the net on a professional photo web site. She had been photographed while playing in a local music group. We had not given permission for either the photos to be taken or for them to be put on a public web site. The leader of the music group contacted an attorney who then "threatened" the photographer with legal action if the photos weren't removed..which they then were (phew) it made me feel both sick inside and made my blood boil

Originally Posted by anotherlimey

You should have called the cops, whether it was legal or not a US cop would probably "accidentally" drop the camera or wipe the film.

Originally Posted by kins

Long one, sorry...

I'm in Boston for a couple of days with my kids, husband and my mother in law.

It's hot so we went to Boston Common where there's a huge paddling pool. It was full of kids in either underwear or swimsuits.

After my three kids played there for over half an hour in their underwear we got them out and started getting them dressed. Several people came up and told us that a man in a blue shirt had been filming my 7 year old daughter for a good half an hour.

I looked at the man they were pointing at, and sure enough his camera was pointing at us. My daughter was getting changed at this point (we were doing it as discreetly as possible) so I walked straight at him and he dropped the camera.

We found some 'staff' and talked to them about him, but they were all teenagers just there to lifeguard. They started talking to him but nothing much seemed to happen.

My husband went up to him and asked him if he'd been filming our daughter. He said 'Yes I have. If you take your daughter into a public place I am allowed to film her.'

My husband asked why he'd been filming her in particular and he said something about her embodying the innocence of children having fun.

My husband asked what he planned to do with the film and he said 'I don't have to tell you that, you don't have any right to know.'

My husband said he was extremely unhappy about this. The guy said something about working in multimedia, and it only being low res film, but my husband said once again that he wasn't happy that this man had been filming our daughter and we didn't know what he was going to do with the film, and that he had not asked our permission.

We both made it clear that we specifically did not give him our permission to publicise or use the film in any way.

My husband had also taken some photos of the guy, and he said we would be sending these photos to the police when WE got home.

The guy (who had obviously picked up our British accent) said he didn't think the police back home would be very interested.

I said we would be contacting the Boston police, and that my husband and the children were actually American citizens living nearby. He looked a bit worried at this point.

Then he said 'Fine, let's call the police together.' We said, no, we were leaving, but that we would be ensuring someone was informed ASAP that he was videoing children at a paddling pool without anyone's consent. At this point the teenager lifeguards were asking us to 'Take it elsewhere.'

At that point we left the paddling pool, but shortly afterwards (still on Boston Common) we saw a Park Ranger. My husband told them about the man, showed them the man's photo, and gave them his business card so they could call if anything further happened.

The Ranger radioed for help, and said he would go immediately and find this man and stop him filming. They said once you ask someone to stop filming they must stop, but nothing about whether someone can film children without permission in a public place, nor about whether they can do anything with the film if you expressly forbid them to. The rangers were not going to let him continue however.

Now I have no idea what this man planned to do with the film, but he did not have my permission to do anything with it, and I have no idea if I can do anything more. I wish we had called the police at the time so he could at least be checked out in some way and to make sure they were aware of what he was doing.

I don't think there are paedos everywhere, but I know they are on the internet, and I absolutely do NOT want film of my daughter on there.

I know that my 7 year old daughter's photos on Flickr get more views than anyone else in the family. I am very careful what photos of my children I put online, especially her, and if I am at all worried I make them viewable by family and friends only.

I know that my daughter probably appears in the background of other people's photos, and that potentially they could get online and be perved at, and I do accept that you can only control so much.

But I'm just so angry that this man thought it was fine to video MY daughter without asking me or her.

No idea what the debate is here, I just wanted to vent really. And I am wondering whether to contact the police with this man's photo, and put in a formal complaint.

I have no idea if the law is on my side in any of this but I suspect it isn't :-(

Originally Posted by Ray

I bet pics of my arse are all over the internet ...with wild women perving at them ...

Originally Posted by Ray

Yet nobody thinks of all the store cameras and in some places
street cameras that follow every move that you or yours make ....

and that certainly includes all the theme parks ....

Originally Posted by E3only

Purpose of which is safety and data collection and NOT to be used for personal/illegal/perving.....

Originally Posted by E3only

Of course not denying that - but the purpose of those camera's
still should be just that...

Unfortunately - there are people out there who do the wrong
thing...

Originally Posted by E3only

Filming is a no go on Australian beaches. people get busted all
the time by life gaurds and sometimes police are called. I have
first hand seen life gaurds demanding camera's etc to check.

I am not saying one of two photos here and there but when it
gets overboard - they are kicked out of the area...and this is
not only photos of children but even adults.......

Seen it too many times on Bondi beach and any other beach here
really....

I know we can not apply this to America but generally western world
is similar in their stances.