When you’re out in public, you can’t expect much privacy (in spite of “Karens” like this and this who would disagree). However, this might change soon, at least under some circumstances. Tennessee lawmakers and the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office have proposed a bill that would make “embarrassing” and “offensive” nonconsensual photos illegal and punishable by law.
“Upskirting” in the UK can now get you up to 2 years in prison
After initially being blocked by a single lawmaker, the bill that punishes upskirting has now become law. Starting in April 2019, people who take photos under someone’s clothing without their consent could end up in jail for up to two years.
A man wanted to take upskirt photos, but his shoe camera exploded
Upskirting is a topic we’ve discussed here before, and the law that bans it was recently blocked in the UK. And recently, a quite bizarre accident occurred because of upskirting. A man from Madison wanted to take some videos up women’s skirts with a shoe camera. However, his plans went up in smoke because the camera exploded, leaving him with minor burns.
UK blocks the law that bans taking photos up women’s skirts
The United Kingdom recently attempted to make upskirting illegal and punishable by up to two years in prison. But thanks to a single lawmaker, the bill hasn’t become law after all. 71-year-old Sir Christopher Chope of Conservative party blocked the bill and he didn’t give a reason for it.
Kyoto Moves To Make Upskirting a Painful Offence
Earlier today, The Japan Times released that officials in Kyoto, Japan, had revised ordinance in order to crack down on the practice of upskirt photography (making unauthorized photographs under a woman’s skirt). The highly popular tourist destination in Japan is flooded with tourists every spring, mostly high school students, and “upskirting” had reached disturbing levels, with even “a whole subgenre of magazines” existing for individuals to sell their images.
This perverted practice has always been outlawed in Japan, but only in public places such as shopping centers, railway stations, and public transport. Individuals taking these photographs had found a loophole which made them untouchable by police by taking their photos in places not covered under the definition of a “public place.” The change in ordinance has seen the expansion of the “scope of protection” to include places such as schools, workplaces and hospitals, and has increased penalties for the use of hidden cameras in areas such as hot spring baths, changing rooms and public restrooms. Penalties can now be as high as ¥1 million (about $9815) or a year in jail.[Read More…]
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