[funsec] "if you are not doing anything wrong, why should you worry about it?"

[coderman]

On 2/20/06, Larry Seltzer <larry at larryseltzer.com> wrote:
> >>bridge photography is an endagered past time...
>
> Putting aside the fact that such rules are easily circumvented, assuming
> they really are enforced, yes they are stupid but they are a completely
> separate issue.

agreed; here is a slightly less flippant reply:

we don't mind the public recording the public, but when government
does it we balk.  i suggest the reason is that government keeps it's
surveillance secret (within government) and for unknown purposes/uses
which breeds suspicion.

if the government produced public surveillance (for example, let John
Q. see those tapes of the police officer using excessive force to
subdue a suspect, etc) it would be much less abrasive IMHO.

why shouldn't public image and video obtained with our tax payer
dollars be public itself?  a little too much oversight for a gov
increasingly antagonistic to accountability (for itself)? lots of GIS
data produced by our dear uncle is free/low cost for the copying.  why
is public surveillance any different?

and regarding the DHS paranoia, they do enforce it, and they will
harass you.  might not happen every time but it happens often enough. 
if you feel like poking the bear grab a nice SLR and tripod and start
snapping pics of the sides/underside of popular bridges in your local
area, especially those carrying telecommunications and electrical
power conduits.

have fun, and report back the results! :)