August 28, 2006
The Ethicist on Upskirting Camera!
Once in a while, there are Ethicist columns in the NY Times Magazine that are immediate classics. Like yesterday's column, in particular the second item about an item found on the subway:
I found a video camera on the subway. I could not get to lost and found that day, and the manufacturer had no record of the owner. When my mother lost a camera, the finder located her by viewing the pictures. Trying to do the same, I saw that this camera was used to look up women’s skirts on the subway. I was shocked! The police said that they couldn’t do anything. I don’t want to return it to the owner. Should I erase the footage and donate it to a school? M.H., New YorkRandy Cohen has what we think is some sage advice.
It would be another matter had the camera been used to shoot something erotic and shocking and consensual: you may not thwart what is voluntary and benign. But this up-skirt epic intrudes on the unwary. If the authorities decline to act, as they did, you may seek alternatives. Here’s one approach: Announce your discovery on Craigslist or similar lost-and-found sites: “Found: One video camera used to shoot up women’s skirts. Will return to owner, whom I will photograph, posting his picture on this site and on lampposts throughout the city.” Then, when the camera’s owner fails to step forward (and he won’t show up, of course, out of embarrassment), give it to a school.And we're not surprised the police couldn't do anything, because they sometimes don't like to get involved, but wouldn't it have been interesting if someone called up the police or MTA Lost & Found to say they lost a camera on the subway? We wonder if the police would have been able to press charges - video voyeurism is a felony!
The only upskirt photos we approve of are pizza upskirts. And last year, a camera was set up to take upskirt footage in subway grating on the Upper East Side.
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Jen you’re such a prude!
If I was in that situation, I would look first to see what’s on it, and if I saw any illegal activity, I’d toss the tape and keep the camera for myself. (If the material is really hot, I might as well keep the tape as well.) It’s going to be seized as evidence anyway right?
Free Camera!
Yeah, it's really "prudish" to think it's shitty to videotape women's crotches without their consent.
The ethicist is a complete idiot, week after week. Civilians don't get to enforce the law. The guy should make a good faith effort to find the owner or put it back where he found it.
Was this before the implementation of the NYPD's lucky bag program?
"police couldn't do anything, because they sometimes don't like to get involved"
My, what a comforting thought..
i will resort back to elementary school:
Finders keepers, losers weepers.
Sweet, someone found my camera? So glad I transfered over my child porn before I went out that morning shootin' upskirts! But, please give me back my camera!
You don't want to return it to the owner? It's none of your business, you ***hole.
When it involves up skirt shots of Camel toe, I'll god damn make it my business.
Why should I give back the Camera to the perv whose just going to use it again for the same exact thing?
The logical thing would have been to take it to your local police precinct and turned it in there, of course telling them of your efforts on trying to return the item to the rightful owner. The police may actually be intrested in the content of the tape as well.
I would be comfortable deciding that the owner was an asshole who deserved to be out a few hundred bucks.
Donate it to HOLLABACKNYC.COM WHO FIGHTS THE FORCES OF STREET HARASSMENT IN THE CITY!!!
I know of one AMAZING way to prevent this type of thing from ever happening again:
Stop wearing skirts.
And if you must wear a skirt, for fucks sake, please wear something more than a thong when you go out. No one needs a camera to see it since with most skirts girls wear you can see right through that shit
But as a man, I can't say that this is such a bad thing...
WTF? For purposes of *security* the cops stop people from taking pictures in the subway with tiny camera phones, yet some wackadoo in the subway gets away with aiming his big ole video camera up females' skirts?
"None of your business?" Erm, no... it's everyone's business when some douche is taping under girls' skirts, which is a CRIME. Just like if you found a cam with footage of kids wrecking someone's house or throwing rocks at people from car windows. I agree with donating it to Hollabacknyc.com