4 ms·

There is a difference in 'spying', and taking photos from a public viewpoint though. It's not really spying if it's done completely out in the open. The same

There is a difference in 'spying', and taking photos from a public viewpoint though. It's not really spying if it's done completely out in the open. The same way you can't 'spy' on police or other government buildings by filming them from public view, something explicitly allowed.

ethanbond 3y ago
You can’t spy on police and government buildings because they’re not sensitive. They are largely meant to operate in the public eye. Some weapon development programs aren’t (thus they are secret). Please note: If you pull up to the gates of CIA with a zoom lens and start taking photos of their doors and windows, you will also have a very bad time, despite the fact that both inside and outside the gates are public land.
- PrimeMcFly 3y ago
  My point is I don't think it should be illegal to openly photograph anything visible from public land. It should be the government's responsibility to secure and hide their land without criminalizing interested members of the public from taking photos and observing what they are doing. It's the equivalent of sunbathing naked on your front lawn and getting angry that someone is taking photos.
  - ethanbond 3y ago
    FWIW I get (and agree with) the philosophical thrust of your argument here, but in reality it doesn’t make any sense. The world you’re describing is one where government facilities have to all be in profoundly challenging places to operate facilities in, and even once you do that, a Chinese or Russian national is 100% within their rights to pull up a tent right alongside it, put a camera up on a 300 foot tower, and surveil the site 24/7. Under the Constitution, anyone in the US has the right to do what you’ve described, and so they have the right to do what I’ve described too.
    - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
      I get what you are saying also, and kind of understand it. I think I would just prefer if rather than making it illegal to photograph a base that happens to be visible, actual treason or espionage should be the only things which are illegal, and the government needs to prove that. It might make things harder on the government, but I think it is fundamentally more fair.

ethanbond 3y ago

You can’t spy on police and government buildings because they’re not sensitive. They are largely meant to operate in the public eye. Some weapon development programs aren’t (thus they are secret). Please note: If you pull up to the gates of CIA with a zoom lens and start taking photos of their doors and windows, you will also have a very bad time, despite the fact that both inside and outside the gates are public land.

PrimeMcFly 3y ago
My point is I don't think it should be illegal to openly photograph anything visible from public land. It should be the government's responsibility to secure and hide their land without criminalizing interested members of the public from taking photos and observing what they are doing. It's the equivalent of sunbathing naked on your front lawn and getting angry that someone is taking photos.
- ethanbond 3y ago
  FWIW I get (and agree with) the philosophical thrust of your argument here, but in reality it doesn’t make any sense. The world you’re describing is one where government facilities have to all be in profoundly challenging places to operate facilities in, and even once you do that, a Chinese or Russian national is 100% within their rights to pull up a tent right alongside it, put a camera up on a 300 foot tower, and surveil the site 24/7. Under the Constitution, anyone in the US has the right to do what you’ve described, and so they have the right to do what I’ve described too.
  - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
    I get what you are saying also, and kind of understand it. I think I would just prefer if rather than making it illegal to photograph a base that happens to be visible, actual treason or espionage should be the only things which are illegal, and the government needs to prove that. It might make things harder on the government, but I think it is fundamentally more fair.