I See London, I See France: Upskirting and the Law

Details

Author(s):
Publish Date:
October 2, 2012
Publication Title:
Verdict
Format:
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Citation(s):
  • Joanna L. Grossman and Lawrence M. Friedman, I See London, I See France: Upskirting and the Law, Verdict, October 2, 2012.

Abstract

Joanna and Lawrence comment on the law regarding the despicable practice of “upskirting.” As they explain, upskirting is the secret taking of photos or videos with a camera that is angled so as to look up a woman’s skirt. They begin by discussing expectations of privacy, and go on to consider the particular invasion of privacy that is perpetrated through upskirting. They then note that while one might assume that upskirting (and its counterpart, downblousing) in a public place would be illegal and penalized in every jurisdiction, in fact that is not the case. Grossman and Friedman explain the puzzling legal status of upskirting in many jurisdictions, and comment on why the current law in this area often defies our intuitions about privacy—though some recent state laws are now authorizing punishments for upskirters.