I recently wrote an article condemning a misleading UK government pamphlet for asylum seekers released by the Home Office that says you shouldn’t photograph or video anyone in a public space without their permission or risk being arrested. This is because UK law does not prohibit the capture of images in public places. That said, there are exceptions, including image capture for commercial use and behaviors that stray into other unlawful activities such as, but not limited to, harassment.
But photography in public places remains a contentious subject. It’s not uncommon for photographers to be approached in public spaces and told they’re breaking the law. And the aforementioned pamphlet is doing nothing to quell this misinformation.
