The Wiretap law in Maryland exists to protect society’s right to privacy by protecting conversations we engage in, thinking that we know who can hear us. All laws, however worded, carry with them the potential to be misused, to criminalize activity unintended by the legislators. The Maryland Wiretap law has been the focus of media attention recently because of efforts of police officers to use the Wiretap law to criminalize videotaping police interactions. This is an inappropriate application of the current law that does nothing to further the public policy interest in privacy. Furthermore, such an application of the Maryland Wiretap law goes against the interest society has in being able to supervise the police.
Tag Archives: privacy
All letters look scarlet to the color-blind
Scott Greenfield at Simple Justice adds to an ongoing discussion regarding transparency in the criminal justice system.
The originating post came from Doug Berman who suggested the idea there should be registration for all convictions in the criminal justice system.
The next sally came from Bobby Frederick who raises the very valid concerns of mistakes and poor representation.
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“P” is (not) for Privacy…
I finally got around to actually reading the decision in State of Wisconsin v. Michael Sveum instead of viewing all the typing heads. (On the blog circuit they’re all typing heads, not talking heads.)
At first glance, I felt that the court came to the difficult but correct decision — after all, we do drive in public. I was going to go my merry way when I realized that the decision still bothered me, so sat back and tried to think it through.
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Quickie — Privacy issues
Great article I discovered via Gideon (again): ‘I’ve Got Nothing to Hide’ and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy . Excellent response to J. Posner’s attempts to mollify privacy advocates.