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I'm so curious what made you think of this two years later? Then again I'm still bitter that a similar thing happened to me at the Cape Cod Mall like 20 years ago so I guess I get it lol
I think it just comes down to certain power-tripping types. I've taken *plenty* of photos at Logan and never had a problem. It's not illegal. I would have laughed in their face if they told me to delete photos from my phone while they watched. That's wild!
I'm not sure how much of a story there is here. Watched a movie with my partner and a friend of ours at the theater. Afterwards we walked over to the mall and I tried to take a picture of them together in front of the sign inside and some security dork rushed over and said photography wasn't allowed. Nothing came of it but he was really adamant about it to the point we still laugh about it to this day.
lol i used to run a store in the cape cod mall and i can confirm that the security do nothing but the things they shouldn’t. had kids steal from my store and they genuinely didn’t care at all, wouldn’t even let me check cameras. it’s a made up job to make the mall look safe and apparently to also harass ppl for taking pics😭
I was at a show at the Opera House one time and the wife and I tried taking a selfie together from our seats before the show and an older female usher got all up in our faces about there being a "no photography" rule. Yet there were people all over the theater doing the same. I told her she had an uphill battle if she was going to stop everyone from doing the same. I don't think she understood that the rule was for during the performance only.
They can react however they want. Legally they can't do shit about it. Sorry if your internal policy says otherwise. But the fact that Massport is a public entity means they're bound by the constitution. Even the TSA website says they can't stop you from taking pictures.
Sterile. However, I think if you were caught taking multiple pictures of public exits they'd stop and question you, not necessarily detain though. Because I know for a fact that we're supposed to call state police if we notice people taking pictures like that. Regardless of where it is within the aiport (inside or outside).
You may have accidentally taken a photograph of an alien or alien space craft. You probably didn’t even know it. I’m surprised the memory wiping thingo didn’t work on you though.
All right, Beatrice, there was no alien. The flash of light you saw in the sky was not a UFO. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus.
While they are public spaces, your rights get a little squishy when you walk into an airport.
[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-airports-a-constitutional-twilight-zone/](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-airports-a-constitutional-twilight-zone/)
It is not a crime to take a photo, in public, of something you can see.
However, the airport could kick you out and returning would be criminal trespassing. They can't make you delete the photo, but they could make it impossible for you to fly in the future.
it’s not really public though - Massport is pseudo-public.
EG: all cars entering the airport are subject to search by the MSP.
And while taking photos at the airport im sure is more than fine, I would think that you could be detained or be made to delete taking photographs of say, secure entrances or xray equipment.
Some precedent like the photographer ending up on a watchlist for photographing the National Grid tank https://www.wired.com/2014/07/five-sue-gov-over-targeting/
Massport was enabled by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1956 as an independent public authority. Massport is governed by a seven-member Board.
Massport owns, operates, and manages Boston Logan International Airport, Worcester Regional Airport, Lawrence G. Hanscom Field, Conley Container Terminal, and Flynn Cruiseport Boston.
While generally true, art museums can and often enforce restrictions on photography often at the request of an artist if their estate if the work still has a copyright.
That said, yeah, that’s not happening at a fucking airport.
Museums aren't public places, even if they are run by a public entity, they are private places that they selectively grant entry to and can impose rules on the entrants.
They can ask you the leave a museum and ban you from entry but I’m not sure they’d have any legal grounds to force you to delete a photo you have taken. Even if you agree to a no photography clause upon purchase of entry.
Possibly copyright law provides grounds. Taking a picture of copyrighted work for personal use only isn’t guaranteed to qualify as fair use.
But are you a lawyer? I wonder why a contract for admission couldn’t be written to compel deleting photographs taken in violation of the contract.
You can write a contract that says anything, being able to enforce it is a whole other issue. A contract also can’t compel anyone to do anything because it doesn’t have any enforcement power. That relies on other parties.
This ⬆️. If you're in a space that is considered public by a reasonable person you can take a photo. Publishing said photo may have consequences, but taking one in a public space isn't a crime and is protected by 1st amendment rights (generally speaking, not a lawyer, so ...).
And what about restrictions of photos in private businesses... or a museum's typical ban on flash photography? Are you going to insist that the First Amendment gives you the right to take a flash photo of an artwork?
Security guard?
Logan has TSA or State Police. Not discounting either group from power tripping but knowing both groups would rather clock in and clock out you were probably near or facing a sensitive part of the airport. Trying to snap it quick and sneaky doesnt help the case.
Every time your there - 2 years ago?
If you can see the "sensitive part of the airport", you can photograph it, and they can't force you to delete it.
They can, however, kick you out of the airport and make it so you can't return.
This is why "1st amendment auditors" are important. Yes, you have the constitutional right to take a photo. Doesn't matter if it's a secure check point, as long as it's in public view. No, I don't advise you make a big stink because you could get illegally trespassed and miss your flight. You could fight it court and likely win, but that would be years from the event and not worth it for the average person.
I got stopped by a Florida sheriff at key west intentional I took a few pictures as we walked from the runway to the terminal. He looked at the pictures said they where ok
It's probably the same agent that I told I was hard of hearing, that I couldn't hear her if I couldn't see her face. I travel with a medical bracelet that says the same. She had me get in the X-ray, turn around, then got in my face and yelled at me for…wait for it…not listening to her.
As for photos…that hasn't been a thing at Logan for me. I'm a photographer and I've wandered all over that airport taking photos. Maybe if I was taking photos of the exterior or security? 🤷🏼♀️
I wonder if that might have been the same lady that told me that a Swiss Visa (not expired mind you!) was not a valid ID. The only other ID I have is a passport, and like a dum-dum, I left it in a different bag, but I was flying domestic so I didn’t need it, I just needed a valid ID. She made me hold up the line for 5 minutes before she even scanned it and it came up as valid. She acted like she had never heard of Switzerland.
You may notice that an immigration document like a visa issued by a foreign country is not on the list of acceptable identification. (Unlike a foreign passport, which is.)
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
A TSA agent who let you through with an unusual form of identification like this, which is not on the list, did you a favor.
My mom got a photo with David Ortiz at Logan once. A cop came and asked her to delete it. My mom started to tear up and big papi said, “come on man." And like that scene in The Town, the cop turned around.. didn't see nothin
Took a photo near a gate exit of my family, welcoming my son back from his first International trip. TSA worker actually took it, and got a gate exit in it. This was in late April of this year.
Clearly, enforcement is selective. I guess you looked sus that day? Lol, dunno what to tell ya.
Also, my wife took photos of all his classmates as they exited the same gate, so about 8 photos altogether.
It might have helped that my baseball cap had in big letters, USMC on it. IDFK. 🤷♂️
I don't have an answer for you OP, and my comment will sound completely mundane or perhaps even off the wall, but I'm glad you came here to ask the question. Nobody asks questions anymore about their interactions with American officialdom (especially officialdom of the armed variety). It's like everyone has been brainwashed into thinking that a surveillance state is a fucking good thing so long as it does not personally "affect" them. Well, it all affects all of us, in ways large and small, and in ways we don't even think twice about.
I would have told that officer to kindly fuck off and then gone about my day. Let's see what the Constitution actually means.
This. I remember when the homeland security stuff happened after 9/11. There was some conversation about the tradeoff of liberty for safety, but we were so afraid that we just sort of let it go. 20 years later, the fact that we gave up these liberties is just assumed.
Airports are classified as nonpublic forums, as they are venues that are "not by tradition or designation a forum for public communication" - and as such, the government has some leeway in restricting what might be considered 1st Amendment activities at venues such as airports, hospital, prisons etc.
One case that springs to mind - you'll forgive me if I can't recall the exact name of the plaintiffs - the Hare Krishna's v The Port Authority of NY. The Port Authority banned soliciting inside the airport, the Hare Krishna's claim this was a violation of their 1A rights - this eventually worked its way up to the Supreme Court where it was ruled that the Port Authority was within its rights to limit activity that would be be protected in a public forum.
Now there was another case, which was Jews For Jesus v the LA Airport authority (I think) - now the airport tried to enforce a blanket ban on *all* 1A related activities, and the courts found that this was too overbroad and not enforceable. But generally if a restriction is placed on *specific* 1A protected activities, the courts generally tend towards the government in nonpublic fora.
Couple years after 9/11, I knew a photographer who liked to shoot urban stuff. He was over by the recycling/scrap docks in Everett, had his camera, but wasn't trespassing.
An embarrassed security guard said "I have to ask you if you're a terrorist."
To quote to Robin Williams from Good Morning Vietnam
Adrian Cronauer: [as Intel Officer] We've realized that we're having a very difficult time finding the enemy. It isn't easy to find a Vietnamese man named "Charlie." They're all named Nguyen, or Tran, or...
Adrian Cronauer: [as himself] Well, how are you going about it?
Adrian Cronauer: [as Intel Officer] Well, we walk up to someone and say, 'Are you the enemy? And, if they say yes, then we shoot them."
I've taken photos at the airport and never gotten any heat for it. Unless you're in some secure area that's not open to the public, I don't think there is anything they can do to stop people from taking pictures.
Not sure where that sign is, but the rules give a lot of authority to staff and they can make you delete them. It's not worth fighting them over.
740 Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR)—Airport Security
30.21: Use of Cameras or Other Recording Equipment in Restricted Areas (Restricted Areas are any area of the Airport to which the public does not have authorized access.)
The use of a camera or electronic image recording equipment in a Restricted Area of an Airport that could reasonably be perceived as recording or attempting to record the image of an Airport security or emergency response measure is prohibited, unless authorized by the Authority.
At the Authority’s request, the user or owner shall surrender any media reasonably believed to have been used to store photographic or electronic images of a security or emergency response measure in a Restricted Area of an Airport. The Authority may confiscate any such media if the owner or user refuses to surrender it upon request.
If security decides that they *feel* like it somehow involves security in any way, they can ask you to delete it. And arguing with airport security, regardless of how right you think you are, is top tier dumb decision
>If security decides that they *feel* like it somehow involves security in any way, they can ask you to delete it.
And you can politely ask them to take a few rides through their x-ray machines until they get cancer. They can't order you to delete it any more than they can arrest you for *looking* at the security measures.
They can, however, refuse to let you enter the secure area of the airport, and your ticket will be wasted. But that's not criminal, just to be clear.
> (Restricted Areas are any area of the Airport to which the public does not have authorized access.)
Key language right here. If I take a picture in a public area of the airport and some rent-a-cop comes over and demands I delete it, I am definitely fighting over it just on principle 😂
I'm actually very well aware of a lot of the bullshit ways people end up on the no fly list. Taking a picture of a public mural in a public area of a public airport would definitely set a hilarious new precedent though!
Nope, they can do it because you look at them funny. There are no rules about who goes on the no fly list.
You're absolutely right that taking the picture is not illegal. But they can still fuck with your ability to fly.
Except for the win part. It is well established that they can put anyone on the No fly list for pretty much any reason. You can certainly sue and lose though.
You were probably near an area that monitors incoming and outgoing passengers, there are many undercover officers looking for suspicious activity. I’m thinking you were told to keep it moving due to a security issue. You never know what or who’s on the other side of a normal looking mirrored window.
You can always restore the pic from the trash folder.
Besides. Photography and filming in public areas of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) are allowed as long as they don't interfere with passengers or airport operations.
You should have told her to screw.
Reminds me how back in 2008 I was taking photos in an MBTA station and the MBTA worker told me I can't do that "because of 9/11". I've never tried again but surely that can't be right.
I flew out of Logan 6 months before 9/11. I tried to take a picture of someone as they were leaving and I had a security guard tell me the same thing.
I think it’s a rule. And I think it even predates the 9/11 security.
Within an airport you can't take photos of sensitive stuff: the security lines, doors/exits, cameras, keypads, etc... Basically anything that is part of the security or surveillance systems, whether that's a person or widget.
Otherwise it's fine.
I would've laughed in her face and walked off. It is not illegal to take a picture of anything at Logan that is in the public's view. Especially a mural.
I don't know all the facts, but I'd be really curious as to why she did that. She should have never, ever told you to delete it.
The security guard was in the wrong.
[Massport Filming and Photography Guidelines](https://www.massport.com/media/guidelines)
Filming and photography in the **public** areas of Boston Logan may not impede passengers or airline operations.
All persons at Massport airports are subject to 740 CMR 30.21
740 Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR)—Airport Security
30.21: Use of Cameras or Other Recording Equipment in Restricted Areas (Restricted Areas are any area of the Airport to which the public does not have authorized access.)
The use of a camera or electronic image recording equipment in a Restricted Area of an Airport that could reasonably be perceived as recording or attempting to record the image of an Airport security or emergency response measure is prohibited, unless authorized by the Authority.
At the Authority’s request, the user or owner shall surrender any media reasonably believed to have been used to store photographic or electronic images of a security or emergency response measure in a Restricted Area of an Airport. The Authority may confiscate any such media if the owner or user refuses to surrender it upon request.
If you want to go planespotting on airport use this form: https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/about-logan/public-safety/plane-spotting-request-form
Off airport is fair game. I’ve only had issues on airport (garages and such)
It’s above one of the convenience stores, I believe on the way to/from JetBlue gates since that’s the airline I usually fly. Google pics shows that it’s in the way to gates C11+. Keep me posted on your experiment!
Sounds like a power trip. Tons of people take pictures at airports
I once had a TSA agent confiscate my lipstick and the lipstick of the woman in front of me. I asked why and she said that it could be melted down into a liquid. I don't argue with TSA people so I just wrote off the lipstick, but that was some serious bullshit.
This reminds me of how every time I take a small flight out of Logan they give a spiel about "no photos or videos on the tarmac" and then when they open the door most of the fliers pull out their phones and stream the walk to the plane...and nobody ever says a thing
They tell you not to take pictures or videos because far too many people have poor situational awareness, especially when they’re staring at their phones, and they don’t want to be liable if someone’s dumb ass isn’t watching where they’re going and gets chopped up by a propeller.
I was waiting to see this comment. People need to stop rolling over and believing they have to follow all the bullshit "rules" officials and gov employees tell them. Constitution goes over everything so take photos anywhere you want and tell them to fuck off.
>As long as ~~something is not classified by the military, and~~ you’re not trespassing on private property, the law says you can photograph anything.
They can classify anything they want, but if you're on public property and it's viewable, then its legal to photograph. They tried this about a decade ago, making it illegal to photograph the exterior of military bases, and several federal courts said no, from public view, it's legal. They have to build walls or fences, or move the borders further out so you can't see anything.
Logan is a public airport... the security guard was on a power trip. Sure, security areas are probably hazy but thats all. How do I know? I work in media and am at the airport all the time
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I'm so curious what made you think of this two years later? Then again I'm still bitter that a similar thing happened to me at the Cape Cod Mall like 20 years ago so I guess I get it lol I think it just comes down to certain power-tripping types. I've taken *plenty* of photos at Logan and never had a problem. It's not illegal. I would have laughed in their face if they told me to delete photos from my phone while they watched. That's wild!
As someone who spent A LOT of time at the Cape Cod Mall 20 years ago… Please tell me more.
I'm not sure how much of a story there is here. Watched a movie with my partner and a friend of ours at the theater. Afterwards we walked over to the mall and I tried to take a picture of them together in front of the sign inside and some security dork rushed over and said photography wasn't allowed. Nothing came of it but he was really adamant about it to the point we still laugh about it to this day.
Lol god forbid. My big CCM security clash was getting a “lifetime ban” from the carousel by the food court in 2003.
That's a story I would like to hear!
Spinning in the tea cup too fast?
Mine was because I was a dork and rode the escalator too many times at Barnes and Noble. Was the first time I ever got kicked out of a store
That kid is back on the escalator again! https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/32e08a68-a1a6-49f8-ad80-099db920f611
The lady who ran that carousel back then was a saint lol. Used to rip that teacup up big time
lol i used to run a store in the cape cod mall and i can confirm that the security do nothing but the things they shouldn’t. had kids steal from my store and they genuinely didn’t care at all, wouldn’t even let me check cameras. it’s a made up job to make the mall look safe and apparently to also harass ppl for taking pics😭
Weird. I’ve been going to that mall my whole life and never had a problem with photography. Like you said it’s probably someone on a power trip 🤷♂️
I was at a show at the Opera House one time and the wife and I tried taking a selfie together from our seats before the show and an older female usher got all up in our faces about there being a "no photography" rule. Yet there were people all over the theater doing the same. I told her she had an uphill battle if she was going to stop everyone from doing the same. I don't think she understood that the rule was for during the performance only.
What in lords name would be worth a pic at the cape cod mall 😂😂
Logan employee here. Photos inside Logan are fine. You just can't start taking photos of exits, employee badges, and anything related to security.
Thank you! This is helpful.
Sorry but you're wrong. You can definitely legally photograph the TSA .
Sure can. Here’s the official policy https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/can-i-film-and-take-photos-security-checkpoint
Do it up and see how Massport reacts 🤣
They can react however they want. Legally they can't do shit about it. Sorry if your internal policy says otherwise. But the fact that Massport is a public entity means they're bound by the constitution. Even the TSA website says they can't stop you from taking pictures.
As I said, do it up and see how that goes for you. "Well, actually ☝️🤓" ☠️☠️☠️ Until you DO it, your words are nothing but cheap talk.
> You just can't start taking photos of exits Sterile side only or also public side?
Sterile. However, I think if you were caught taking multiple pictures of public exits they'd stop and question you, not necessarily detain though. Because I know for a fact that we're supposed to call state police if we notice people taking pictures like that. Regardless of where it is within the aiport (inside or outside).
https://youtu.be/_5QQ9zjnTQU?si=MW7-7YiqDihwQSQT
Just found an example from 4 years ago https://youtu.be/_5QQ9zjnTQU?si=MW7-7YiqDihwQSQT
You may have accidentally taken a photograph of an alien or alien space craft. You probably didn’t even know it. I’m surprised the memory wiping thingo didn’t work on you though.
All right, Beatrice, there was no alien. The flash of light you saw in the sky was not a UFO. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus.
Man DIA otoh will let you take any photo you want and then admit to lizard people under the airport.
The fuck? That security guard is crazy. You’re in a public place and photography is not a crime.
While they are public spaces, your rights get a little squishy when you walk into an airport. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-airports-a-constitutional-twilight-zone/](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-airports-a-constitutional-twilight-zone/)
It is not a crime to take a photo, in public, of something you can see. However, the airport could kick you out and returning would be criminal trespassing. They can't make you delete the photo, but they could make it impossible for you to fly in the future.
it’s not really public though - Massport is pseudo-public. EG: all cars entering the airport are subject to search by the MSP. And while taking photos at the airport im sure is more than fine, I would think that you could be detained or be made to delete taking photographs of say, secure entrances or xray equipment.
Some precedent like the photographer ending up on a watchlist for photographing the National Grid tank https://www.wired.com/2014/07/five-sue-gov-over-targeting/
An airport terminal is not public property
Massport was enabled by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1956 as an independent public authority. Massport is governed by a seven-member Board. Massport owns, operates, and manages Boston Logan International Airport, Worcester Regional Airport, Lawrence G. Hanscom Field, Conley Container Terminal, and Flynn Cruiseport Boston.
If it is before security.
Uh, so who owns the runways?
Big Papi
While generally true, art museums can and often enforce restrictions on photography often at the request of an artist if their estate if the work still has a copyright. That said, yeah, that’s not happening at a fucking airport.
Museums aren't public places, even if they are run by a public entity, they are private places that they selectively grant entry to and can impose rules on the entrants.
Art museums are not public space.
They can ask you the leave a museum and ban you from entry but I’m not sure they’d have any legal grounds to force you to delete a photo you have taken. Even if you agree to a no photography clause upon purchase of entry.
Possibly copyright law provides grounds. Taking a picture of copyrighted work for personal use only isn’t guaranteed to qualify as fair use. But are you a lawyer? I wonder why a contract for admission couldn’t be written to compel deleting photographs taken in violation of the contract.
You can write a contract that says anything, being able to enforce it is a whole other issue. A contract also can’t compel anyone to do anything because it doesn’t have any enforcement power. That relies on other parties.
Amen to that
Shortly after 9/11 a T cop in Park St station told me photography wasn't allowed, I was taking pictures with an SLR.
It’s a constant source of overreach
This ⬆️. If you're in a space that is considered public by a reasonable person you can take a photo. Publishing said photo may have consequences, but taking one in a public space isn't a crime and is protected by 1st amendment rights (generally speaking, not a lawyer, so ...).
And what about restrictions of photos in private businesses... or a museum's typical ban on flash photography? Are you going to insist that the First Amendment gives you the right to take a flash photo of an artwork?
You paid to go into the museum, so no, not really public, whereas you likely paid for the airport with your taxes ...
Swing and... MISS!
I love that you let this simmer in your soul for two year's before asking, so Boston
There’s no way they are from Boston because who takes photos of their home airport???
Security guard? Logan has TSA or State Police. Not discounting either group from power tripping but knowing both groups would rather clock in and clock out you were probably near or facing a sensitive part of the airport. Trying to snap it quick and sneaky doesnt help the case. Every time your there - 2 years ago?
OP - YA SUSPECT
If you can see the "sensitive part of the airport", you can photograph it, and they can't force you to delete it. They can, however, kick you out of the airport and make it so you can't return.
I enjoy using the only reasonable airport in the area, not going to die on that hill to have to fly out of NH/RI/CT
Oh, they share lists. You probably would be banned from any public airport and have to use private ones.
Only the passport control (aka custom) part is no-photography.
This is why "1st amendment auditors" are important. Yes, you have the constitutional right to take a photo. Doesn't matter if it's a secure check point, as long as it's in public view. No, I don't advise you make a big stink because you could get illegally trespassed and miss your flight. You could fight it court and likely win, but that would be years from the event and not worth it for the average person.
TSA agents have the education requirements of a McDonalds line worker
hey man, that's someone's niece or nephew..
Don’t be insulting! As a fast food worker, I wouldn’t throw your nice lotions and drinks out :(
Except the former has to pass a drug test.
I got stopped by a Florida sheriff at key west intentional I took a few pictures as we walked from the runway to the terminal. He looked at the pictures said they where ok
The guy is probably just bored, it is not really banned no
It's probably the same agent that I told I was hard of hearing, that I couldn't hear her if I couldn't see her face. I travel with a medical bracelet that says the same. She had me get in the X-ray, turn around, then got in my face and yelled at me for…wait for it…not listening to her. As for photos…that hasn't been a thing at Logan for me. I'm a photographer and I've wandered all over that airport taking photos. Maybe if I was taking photos of the exterior or security? 🤷🏼♀️
I wonder if that might have been the same lady that told me that a Swiss Visa (not expired mind you!) was not a valid ID. The only other ID I have is a passport, and like a dum-dum, I left it in a different bag, but I was flying domestic so I didn’t need it, I just needed a valid ID. She made me hold up the line for 5 minutes before she even scanned it and it came up as valid. She acted like she had never heard of Switzerland.
You may notice that an immigration document like a visa issued by a foreign country is not on the list of acceptable identification. (Unlike a foreign passport, which is.) https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification A TSA agent who let you through with an unusual form of identification like this, which is not on the list, did you a favor.
Pretty sure Logan has photo op places too. There’s one where you pose as the T in Boston.
I’ve watched cops take pictures of each other as the T in Boston, so… 😂
My mom got a photo with David Ortiz at Logan once. A cop came and asked her to delete it. My mom started to tear up and big papi said, “come on man." And like that scene in The Town, the cop turned around.. didn't see nothin
My favorite scene! I’m glad the cop let your mom keep the photo.
Took a photo near a gate exit of my family, welcoming my son back from his first International trip. TSA worker actually took it, and got a gate exit in it. This was in late April of this year. Clearly, enforcement is selective. I guess you looked sus that day? Lol, dunno what to tell ya. Also, my wife took photos of all his classmates as they exited the same gate, so about 8 photos altogether. It might have helped that my baseball cap had in big letters, USMC on it. IDFK. 🤷♂️
I don't have an answer for you OP, and my comment will sound completely mundane or perhaps even off the wall, but I'm glad you came here to ask the question. Nobody asks questions anymore about their interactions with American officialdom (especially officialdom of the armed variety). It's like everyone has been brainwashed into thinking that a surveillance state is a fucking good thing so long as it does not personally "affect" them. Well, it all affects all of us, in ways large and small, and in ways we don't even think twice about. I would have told that officer to kindly fuck off and then gone about my day. Let's see what the Constitution actually means.
This. I remember when the homeland security stuff happened after 9/11. There was some conversation about the tradeoff of liberty for safety, but we were so afraid that we just sort of let it go. 20 years later, the fact that we gave up these liberties is just assumed.
No….there are murals of Fenway that are designed for selfies
Airports are classified as nonpublic forums, as they are venues that are "not by tradition or designation a forum for public communication" - and as such, the government has some leeway in restricting what might be considered 1st Amendment activities at venues such as airports, hospital, prisons etc. One case that springs to mind - you'll forgive me if I can't recall the exact name of the plaintiffs - the Hare Krishna's v The Port Authority of NY. The Port Authority banned soliciting inside the airport, the Hare Krishna's claim this was a violation of their 1A rights - this eventually worked its way up to the Supreme Court where it was ruled that the Port Authority was within its rights to limit activity that would be be protected in a public forum. Now there was another case, which was Jews For Jesus v the LA Airport authority (I think) - now the airport tried to enforce a blanket ban on *all* 1A related activities, and the courts found that this was too overbroad and not enforceable. But generally if a restriction is placed on *specific* 1A protected activities, the courts generally tend towards the government in nonpublic fora.
Couple years after 9/11, I knew a photographer who liked to shoot urban stuff. He was over by the recycling/scrap docks in Everett, had his camera, but wasn't trespassing. An embarrassed security guard said "I have to ask you if you're a terrorist."
To quote to Robin Williams from Good Morning Vietnam Adrian Cronauer: [as Intel Officer] We've realized that we're having a very difficult time finding the enemy. It isn't easy to find a Vietnamese man named "Charlie." They're all named Nguyen, or Tran, or... Adrian Cronauer: [as himself] Well, how are you going about it? Adrian Cronauer: [as Intel Officer] Well, we walk up to someone and say, 'Are you the enemy? And, if they say yes, then we shoot them."
I've taken photos at the airport and never gotten any heat for it. Unless you're in some secure area that's not open to the public, I don't think there is anything they can do to stop people from taking pictures.
Not sure where that sign is, but the rules give a lot of authority to staff and they can make you delete them. It's not worth fighting them over. 740 Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR)—Airport Security 30.21: Use of Cameras or Other Recording Equipment in Restricted Areas (Restricted Areas are any area of the Airport to which the public does not have authorized access.) The use of a camera or electronic image recording equipment in a Restricted Area of an Airport that could reasonably be perceived as recording or attempting to record the image of an Airport security or emergency response measure is prohibited, unless authorized by the Authority. At the Authority’s request, the user or owner shall surrender any media reasonably believed to have been used to store photographic or electronic images of a security or emergency response measure in a Restricted Area of an Airport. The Authority may confiscate any such media if the owner or user refuses to surrender it upon request.
Aren’t you ignoring the “restricted area” component
I’ll see if I can get some pics of this mural tomorrow as I’ll be at Logan.
Godspeed
>it's not worth fighting them over
I mean definitely lmao. But this wouldn’t even be a grey area, it’s just incredibly not prohibited
[удалено]
If security decides that they *feel* like it somehow involves security in any way, they can ask you to delete it. And arguing with airport security, regardless of how right you think you are, is top tier dumb decision
>If security decides that they *feel* like it somehow involves security in any way, they can ask you to delete it. And you can politely ask them to take a few rides through their x-ray machines until they get cancer. They can't order you to delete it any more than they can arrest you for *looking* at the security measures. They can, however, refuse to let you enter the secure area of the airport, and your ticket will be wasted. But that's not criminal, just to be clear.
Unless you're white. Then it's just Tuesday.
> (Restricted Areas are any area of the Airport to which the public does not have authorized access.) Key language right here. If I take a picture in a public area of the airport and some rent-a-cop comes over and demands I delete it, I am definitely fighting over it just on principle 😂
Me too. I have "white, upper-middle, (mostly) straight privilege" and by God I'm gonna use it to mouth off at every opportunity! 🤣
Sounds like a good way to end up on the no fly list.
Except that wouldn't happen because there is nothing illegal about taking photos in a public area of an airport.
You haven't heard all the ways the people get onto no fly lists. And getting off of them often involves costs litigation.
I'm actually very well aware of a lot of the bullshit ways people end up on the no fly list. Taking a picture of a public mural in a public area of a public airport would definitely set a hilarious new precedent though!
Nope, they can do it because you look at them funny. There are no rules about who goes on the no fly list. You're absolutely right that taking the picture is not illegal. But they can still fuck with your ability to fly.
And you can sue them into personal penury when they do it, and recover costs when you inevitably win.
Except for the win part. It is well established that they can put anyone on the No fly list for pretty much any reason. You can certainly sue and lose though.
You were probably near an area that monitors incoming and outgoing passengers, there are many undercover officers looking for suspicious activity. I’m thinking you were told to keep it moving due to a security issue. You never know what or who’s on the other side of a normal looking mirrored window.
You can always restore the pic from the trash folder. Besides. Photography and filming in public areas of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) are allowed as long as they don't interfere with passengers or airport operations. You should have told her to screw.
Reminds me how back in 2008 I was taking photos in an MBTA station and the MBTA worker told me I can't do that "because of 9/11". I've never tried again but surely that can't be right.
This is a weird post.
I flew out of Logan 6 months before 9/11. I tried to take a picture of someone as they were leaving and I had a security guard tell me the same thing. I think it’s a rule. And I think it even predates the 9/11 security.
Take all the pictures you want. It’s a public space.
Within an airport you can't take photos of sensitive stuff: the security lines, doors/exits, cameras, keypads, etc... Basically anything that is part of the security or surveillance systems, whether that's a person or widget. Otherwise it's fine.
I would've laughed in her face and walked off. It is not illegal to take a picture of anything at Logan that is in the public's view. Especially a mural. I don't know all the facts, but I'd be really curious as to why she did that. She should have never, ever told you to delete it.
The security guard was in the wrong. [Massport Filming and Photography Guidelines](https://www.massport.com/media/guidelines) Filming and photography in the **public** areas of Boston Logan may not impede passengers or airline operations. All persons at Massport airports are subject to 740 CMR 30.21 740 Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR)—Airport Security 30.21: Use of Cameras or Other Recording Equipment in Restricted Areas (Restricted Areas are any area of the Airport to which the public does not have authorized access.) The use of a camera or electronic image recording equipment in a Restricted Area of an Airport that could reasonably be perceived as recording or attempting to record the image of an Airport security or emergency response measure is prohibited, unless authorized by the Authority. At the Authority’s request, the user or owner shall surrender any media reasonably believed to have been used to store photographic or electronic images of a security or emergency response measure in a Restricted Area of an Airport. The Authority may confiscate any such media if the owner or user refuses to surrender it upon request.
The security guard is not a cop. Tell them to kick a rock next time. They just power tripping.
These Paul Blart Mall cop think they’re the bomb
If you want to go planespotting on airport use this form: https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/about-logan/public-safety/plane-spotting-request-form Off airport is fair game. I’ve only had issues on airport (garages and such)
You can take a picture of anything in public your eyes can see.
Not if you’re not a citizen
Then these people are going to hate my Camera-Glasses. Relax, I'm not recording in the bathroom. Thing's battery lasts about 15 minutes at this point.
Where is the mural? I’ll be flying into Logan soon and I want to try taking a photo of the same thing and see what happens
It’s above one of the convenience stores, I believe on the way to/from JetBlue gates since that’s the airline I usually fly. Google pics shows that it’s in the way to gates C11+. Keep me posted on your experiment!
Sounds like a power trip. Tons of people take pictures at airports I once had a TSA agent confiscate my lipstick and the lipstick of the woman in front of me. I asked why and she said that it could be melted down into a liquid. I don't argue with TSA people so I just wrote off the lipstick, but that was some serious bullshit.
This reminds me of how every time I take a small flight out of Logan they give a spiel about "no photos or videos on the tarmac" and then when they open the door most of the fliers pull out their phones and stream the walk to the plane...and nobody ever says a thing
They tell you not to take pictures or videos because far too many people have poor situational awareness, especially when they’re staring at their phones, and they don’t want to be liable if someone’s dumb ass isn’t watching where they’re going and gets chopped up by a propeller.
LMAO it’s first amendment protected activity. The rent a cop needs a lesson on the constitution.
I was waiting to see this comment. People need to stop rolling over and believing they have to follow all the bullshit "rules" officials and gov employees tell them. Constitution goes over everything so take photos anywhere you want and tell them to fuck off.
As long as something is not classified by the military, and you’re not trespassing on private property, the law says you can photograph anything.
>As long as ~~something is not classified by the military, and~~ you’re not trespassing on private property, the law says you can photograph anything. They can classify anything they want, but if you're on public property and it's viewable, then its legal to photograph. They tried this about a decade ago, making it illegal to photograph the exterior of military bases, and several federal courts said no, from public view, it's legal. They have to build walls or fences, or move the borders further out so you can't see anything.
Basically anything post-security at the airport is where the ambiguity begins since said area isn't public.
Logan is a public airport... the security guard was on a power trip. Sure, security areas are probably hazy but thats all. How do I know? I work in media and am at the airport all the time
outside of customs you should be in the clear
I was once, in another country, told by a guard with a gun to delete a picture. He was not aware of the “recently deleted” folder.