NO CAMERAS

Remember the old Cold War horror stories about innocent tourists in Moscow being hustled away to jail and interrogation by the KGB just because they pointed their cameras the wrong way in Red Square? Seems like it’s happening all over in these high tech times.

"Today, most people walk around with a camera of some sort in their possession. Point-and-shoots, DSLRs and tiny video cams--not to mention cellphones--have become ubiquitous. And yet it seems that in many public locations, security officials are touchier than ever about letting people actually use those cameras. Our guardians of public safety often have the idea that shooting pictures in public places might be a precursor to some sort of terrorism. It's an understandable concern, but misguided. I believe there is a good case to be made that having lots of cameras in the hands of citizens makes us more, rather than less, safe. Here's how bad it has gotten: Not long ago, an Amtrak representative did an interview with local TV station Fox 5 in Washington, D.C.'s Union Station to explain that you don't need a permit to take pictures there--only to be approached by a security guard who ordered them to stop filming without a permit. Legally, it's pretty much always okay to take photos in a public place as long as you're not physically interfering with traffic or police operations.” Click here for more.

Did I hear someone mutter Rodney King?

The secret word is Exposure