spylaw4 Posted May 20, 2008 Share #261 Posted May 20, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Whatever next! This is seriously worrying! PGP anyone? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 20, 2008 Posted May 20, 2008 Hi spylaw4, Take a look here Advice to photographers in Uk. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
biglouis Posted May 20, 2008 Share #262 Posted May 20, 2008 Please, please not. However if you want to get really worried take a look at this proposal... Alarm at plan for central store of telecoms records | Politics | guardian.co.uk Well, I could get seriously worried if it was not for the absolutely dismal track record of any UK government department or organisation in developing computerised systems. Every major system from Inland Revenue to Health to Air Traffic Control has been a major fiasco, running seriously over budget and being delivered years after the project deadline and generally containing half the proposed functionality. I don't know what makes me more angry the prospect of this database or that there are still politicians and civil servants in the UK who actually believe they can develop and deliver anything more sophisticated than a database of planned visitors to a distillery. But, of course, the tax payer will no doubt foot an enormous multi-million pound bill and several civil servants will earn knighthoods for the fiasco, in any case. If I've offended any Leica members who are civil servants and have worked on past government IT projects then, good, about time you faced up to you own incompetence. LouisB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted May 21, 2008 Share #263 Posted May 21, 2008 Louis, A friend of mine works for the Home Office. I've discussed some of the issues here with him down the pub and I'm sure he'd agree with your comments - although its not civil servents as a whole (he's a very sharp operator and gets quite irate discussing the mass of red tape that exists between govt depts). As for ID cards, the general view is that Tesco probably have much more info on us than any single govt dept.! As for the Home Office losing CD's with our private info................ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglouis Posted May 21, 2008 Share #264 Posted May 21, 2008 As for ID cards, the general view is that Tesco probably have much more info on us than any single govt dept.! James, that comment really did make me laugh out loud. I actually avoid using my Nectar card in Sainsbury's when I by lunch items so the wife does not know what I gorge myself on outside of the home :-) LouisB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglouis Posted May 30, 2008 Share #265 Posted May 30, 2008 Read all about it here.... how Steve Kessel and I were 'stopped' on the public pavement outside the ODA. I have already written Austin Mitchell about this and in his reply he described the event as 'monstrous'. Having said that, I am supposed to be meeting with the ODA in two weeks time to discuss the whole event and I did receive today a letter from the head of external affairs apologising "if you felt intimidated by the actions of the security guards". I'll be interested to see if they still have the appetite for a meeting after this article appears in AP next week. LouisB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted May 30, 2008 Share #266 Posted May 30, 2008 Good grief, Louis. No doubt you will keep us informed when the let you out of the Scrubs... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted May 30, 2008 Share #267 Posted May 30, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Louis, Well done for getting this published in AP, it will be interesting to hear how your meeting goes. How did they detain you? If they did they have commited an offence surely. Were you not in a position to just walk away? If the situation was turning nasty in any way I think I would simply call the Police in that situation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael-IIIf Posted May 30, 2008 Share #268 Posted May 30, 2008 This country is going insane. Louis, I'm pleased to read that you are taking action on this. Good luck with your meeting. Even if you had been taking photographs through the fence: what the hell? they're our tax pounds in the first place. What do they think they are building, a secret nuclear facility? PS: if they send you to prison can I burrow your M8 while you're inside? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spylaw4 Posted May 30, 2008 Share #269 Posted May 30, 2008 My own personal congratulations to Louis for taking this appalling incident up with "authority". Here is the response I received today from one of my approaches to the Mayor: Quote: I am writing on behalf of Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson at the London Assembly. We have now received a response to the question put to the Mayor regarding amateur photographers and the Met Police: Question No: 838 / 2008 Darren Johnson Q. Since the introduction of the MPS Counter-Terrorism campaign a number of amateur photographers have expressed their concern at being confronted and wrongly accused by police officers and PCSOs when taking photographs in public places. What can you do to ensure that this campaign does not inadvertently criminalise innocent amateur photographers? A. The “Camera Creative” element of the campaign highlights the issue that terrorists undertake surveillance on security equipment and services, for example taking photographs of CCTV cameras. The MPS encourages public reporting of suspicious activity so that police can take appropriate action to disrupt any potential terrorist planning. Professional or amateur photographers may take photographs that lead to their actions being of concern to other members of the public and being reported to the police. When such activity is reported, it is for the police to assess whether there are grounds for concern. This may result in the person concerned being asked to explain their actions. It is not about criminalizing innocent amateur photographers, but to reduce the risks to London from terrorists. I hope this answer provides you with some reassurance. However, do get back in touch if there are specific incidents that you would like to raise, as this is something we may be able to follow up through the Metropolitan Police Authority. Best wishes Ruth Ruth Timson Assistant to Jenny Jones, Green Party Member London Assembly City Hall The Queen's Walk London SE1 2AA Tel: 020 7983 4358 Fax: 020 7983 4398 Now we know the unhelpful and bland attitude of the new administration. I think I shall copy the lettter I received from Tony McNulty (see an earlier posting) to Ms Jones in a follow up, and refer her to the AP article. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elansprint72 Posted May 31, 2008 Share #270 Posted May 31, 2008 Do as I say, not as I do! Friday's Guardian devoted a whole page to police officers photographing people. Harass a hoodie: how Essex police take surveillance to the streets | UK news | The Guardian "Success outweighs Civil Rights issues say officers". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker Posted June 1, 2008 Share #271 Posted June 1, 2008 Do as I say, not as I do! Friday's Guardian devoted a whole page to police officers photographing people. Harass a hoodie: how Essex police take surveillance to the streets | UK news | The Guardian "Success outweighs Civil Rights issues say officers". It really is time to get a grip on this nonsense from the most right-wing government we have had in my lifetime before it goes any further. And how much is all this costing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest suilvenman Posted June 1, 2008 Share #272 Posted June 1, 2008 It really is time to get a grip on this nonsense from the most right-wing government we have had in my lifetime before it goes any further. And how much is all this costing? How much is all this costing, Keith? Well, that's the final kick in the teeth: as taxpayers, we're all paying for it. Cheers, Ken. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael-IIIf Posted June 1, 2008 Share #273 Posted June 1, 2008 "Success outweighs Civil Rights issues say officers". What cracking logic. By extrapolation, if this were true, they may as well shoot people they don't like the look of. That would be successful, but a bit dodgy on the Civil Rights front. But then, they already do that with Brazilians, don't they. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglouis Posted June 1, 2008 Share #274 Posted June 1, 2008 ... for what it is worth: I have been contacted by a freelancer for the Sunday Telegraph as a result of the article about the incident with ODA published online at the AP site. He is writing a feature for the Magazine section on the apparent repressive measures that seem to be increasing with respect to amateur photography. I told him my sad tale but I also made the point that amateur photogs are generally a passive and entirely benign presence on society. After all, when was the last time you had 200 of them rampaging through a city centre attacking Police or organising a wholly irresponsible event which ended in closing various parts of the tube network....... He promissed me he would give me the publication date of the article and I'll spread the news here. LouisB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted June 1, 2008 Share #275 Posted June 1, 2008 ,.......from "America" Simon and Garfunkel, "She said the man in the gabardine suit Was a spy I said Be careful, His bow tie is really a camera."........ . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael-IIIf Posted June 3, 2008 Share #276 Posted June 3, 2008 Brilliant; the anti-photo security guard gets recorded on a TV interview. MyFox Washington DC | Union Station Photo Flap Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted June 3, 2008 Share #277 Posted June 3, 2008 Dark forces have broken the link to the Fox news story, Michael... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael-IIIf Posted June 3, 2008 Share #278 Posted June 3, 2008 Dark forces have broken the link to the Fox news story, Michael... Strange, it still works for me. Dark forces indeed. Here, I'll try again with the link embedded rather than pasted. LINK Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted June 3, 2008 Share #279 Posted June 3, 2008 And be careful what you wear when flying... BBC NEWS | England | London | Gun T-shirt 'was a security risk' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglouis Posted June 3, 2008 Share #280 Posted June 3, 2008 Strange, it still works for me. Dark forces indeed. Here, I'll try again with the link embedded rather than pasted. LINK How refreshing to see a spokesperson for the station actually supporting the rights of photographers. Be interesting to see if I ever provoke the same public display of corporate support from the ODA........ I'm embarassed to report that AP have devoted a full page in the news section of the magazine to the event between Steve and myself last month. LouisB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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