Ban on Photographing Farms -- Proposed New Florida Legislation

[TheOtherBob]

I found this interesting -- I don't think it's been discussed here before (but please let me know if that's incorrect): Could this picture get me arrested? - Agriculture - Salon.com

Essentially, there's a bill in the Florida Senate that would make it a felony to take a picture of a farm, even from public property. Now, surely they're going to clean that up -- and the bill is not going to be passed in this condition, if it's passed at all. So I'm not exactly worried about it. (Not that I find myself in Florida that much anyways...)

Nonetheless, I found it interesting that someone would actually propose this.

 

[480sparky]

Iowa's doing the same thing.

Article.

 

[benhasajeep]

I found this interesting -- I don't think it's been discussed here before (but please let me know if that's incorrect): Could this picture get me arrested? - Agriculture - Salon.com

Essentially, there's a bill in the Florida Senate that would make it a felony to take a picture of a farm, even from public property. Now, surely they're going to clean that up -- and the bill is not going to be passed in this condition, if it's passed at all. So I'm not exactly worried about it. (Not that I find myself in Florida that much anyways...)

Nonetheless, I found it interesting that someone would actually propose this.

Ha with all the lobby money going into reelection funds, you really can't believe this has come about? These laws are nothing but a way for industrial farms to keep out hidden camera investigations. If you make it illegal to film any farm from any place. There is no visual proof something is going wrong, being done wrong. No pictures to post on the web to get a mob stirred up. No way to prove conditions are bad. It is clearly written to protect farms from any kind of whistle blower type activity.

It was mentioned before but can't remember when. Not too long ago.

 

[TheGreatGonzo]

Personally, I find the idea of such a law to be chilling. If you can legally take a photograph of a federal building or a military base from public property, I am hard pressed to be convinced that a law forbidding the photographing of a private farm would survive a constitutional challenge. While I understand that there are places (or more specifically, procedures) that cannot be photographed for reasons of national security, one could hardly make the same argument for a privately owned farm (or business or dwelling). If passed, I really don't think this law will be long lived.
Gonzo

PS - The Iowa case seems of a different nature. As I read it, it involved gaining access to private property under false pretenses, whereas the Florida proposal is much broader and ridiculously restrictive (and, in my opinion, unconstitutional).

 

[table1349]

I found this interesting -- I don't think it's been discussed here before (but please let me know if that's incorrect): Could this picture get me arrested? - Agriculture - Salon.com

Essentially, there's a bill in the Florida Senate that would make it a felony to take a picture of a farm, even from public property. Now, surely they're going to clean that up -- and the bill is not going to be passed in this condition, if it's passed at all. So I'm not exactly worried about it. (Not that I find myself in Florida that much anyways...)

Nonetheless, I found it interesting that someone would actually propose this.

It has: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photographic-discussions/237893-ethical-challenge.html