Are these things crimes in the U.S.?

Question

1. Filming people on my video camera without their permission.
2. Filming cars' license plates on my video camera without the owners' permission.

Answer 1

If the cars and people are in public and in plain site they can be filmed.

However, you might run into trouble if you decide to, say, make a movie or to talk about the people or cars in a non-truthful way. Private citizens have an expectation of a certain level of privacy even when in public,

Answer 2

You have to get permission to video people unless they are in the background while you're taking videos of objects. Also these videos aren't going to be used onscreen or magazines otherwise you need a release from the poeple you video. You could be liable for legal damages. to my knowledge filming license plate for the same reason would be a legal liable if used for movies,etc. without authorization. No jail. The only outright illegal going to jail crime of video I know of is if you're taking peeping tom like video or photos ie: looking up a girls skirt or taking photos in the bathroom while it's being used.

Answer 3

Well, I don't know if they're crimes or not, but both of those things invade people's privacy (especially number 1).even if they're not crimes, someone could still sue you for them and then you'd have to go through the whole court system trying to prove that you had the right to film them or their license plate.

Answer 4

Not sure about #2, but regarding #1.

Hewlett-Packard was awarded a US patent to allow a person to send a signal to a camera (could be still or movie camera) that would blur that person's face on the recorded image, rendering it unable to be resolved.

HP has not made the hardware or software to actually do this function, but they I expect they would license to camera mfrs.

Answer 5

i'm not sure about #1, i dont think you have to have their permission if they're just walking by or something, but about #2 i dont think you need permission cuz everybody else sees their license plate number, its not like its a big secret and your not gonna like show the number and tell all there info or anything i dont think anyone will care

Answer 6

You are allowed to film anything you want, but if you release it without their permission, then its a crime. Even if they arent the focal point of the video, it can still be considered a crime.

Answer 7

For number one, if you release the footage for any reason other than 'news', and the people on screen are identifiable, then you must have a signed release from them. Incidental people in the background that are not particularly identifiable are exempt and for the most part, those involved with news stories are exempt as well. And public figures are always exempt, as long as it's in a public place.

Answer 8

I think people need to be aware they are on camera before it can be publicly exhibited. I'm not sure on the license plate thing though.

Answer 9

It all depends on the use, where you reside, and so on, and if you have a good reason. You can try this link for more information on legalities on this issue. If this link does not work let me know and I will personally copy and send the information on this subject to you.

http://www.publicrecordfinder.com/legalresearch.html

This link covers a lot of information and resources.

Answer 10

You may legally film anything people do in public, unless there is a court order or police order specifically prohibiting it.