Digital Rights Ireland have published a post about the rights of photographers in our fair isle. It’s a detailed post that shows some of the differences between the rights a photographer might expect here and abroad.
I find it troubling that the Minister for Justice says “that the private interactions of a person – even in a public place – may be covered by the right to privacy”. This could include shopping or meeting someone for a coffee, even if it’s in the street and in a public place! His opinion will help shape the upcoming privacy bill, is this a facet of the bill? If a person expects privacy they shouldn’t be on the street in full view of potentially hundreds of people. Settle into a nice warm cafe and out of the wind!
A few days ago, I asked, “do I need a model release?” Maybe in Ireland the question should be, do I even have the right to photograph someone in public?
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Amazing stuff. You might not, in future, be able to photograph anyone else without their permission. Perhaps the state will apply the same rules to your number plate when they’re busy taking photos of them in public. I’m about to start a rant, but it’s best not to!
There’s an excellent article about photographers’ rights in Australia here if you’re interested in a comparison. It’s about NSW in particular but most of it generally applies to the rest of the country. There are some links at the bottom to similar articles for other countries.
In short, photographers generally aren’t restricted much by the law here, but there are the usual gung-ho security guards and police officers who seem to believe in non-existent photography bans.
My experience is that you’re more likely to be hassled by a member of the public than by the authorities.
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