new york unlawful surveillance

Unlawful Surveillance in New York – A Complex Issue with Serious Consequences

Surveillance technology is advancing rapidly, making it easier than ever before to monitor or record others without their knowledge or consent. This has led to an increase in unlawful surveillance cases in New York. While some perpetrators may see their actions as harmless pranks, unlawful surveillance is a felony crime with serious penalties under New York law. This article will examine the complex issue of unlawful surveillance in New York, including the relevant laws, penalties, defenses, and implications for victims.

What Constitutes Unlawful Surveillance in New York?

New York Penal Law Articles 250.45 and 250.50 define the crimes of second-degree and first-degree unlawful surveillance, respectively. 1

The key elements are:

Intentionally installing or using a device to view, broadcast or record someone without their consent
Doing so in a location where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a bedroom, bathroom, locker room, etc.
Viewing or recording the sexual or intimate parts of a person’s body, or viewing/recording sexual acts

This includes crimes commonly known as “upskirting,” voyeurism, or “revenge porn”. 2

It does not matter what the perpetrator’s motive is – their own sexual arousal, desire to humiliate the victim, profit, or just amusement. Any nonconsensual recording or viewing of a person in a state of undress or engaged in intimate activity is considered unlawful surveillance under NY law. 3

Penalties for Unlawful Surveillance

Unlawful surveillance is a felony in New York. Second-degree unlawful surveillance is a Class E felony punishable by up to 4 years in prison. First-degree unlawful surveillance is a Class D felony with a maximum sentence of 7 years. 1

Those convicted may also face fines up to $5,000 and will likely be required to register as a sex offender under New York’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) . 2

This brings a lifelong requirement of keeping authorities updated on residence, employment, and other information. Failure to comply with SORA can result in additional felony charges. 4

.Penalties are enhanced if the victim was a minor, or if the perpetrator has prior convictions for unlawful surveillance or related offenses within the past 10 years. 3

Disseminating or selling images obtained through unlawful surveillance can lead to additional charges.

Defenses to Unlawful Surveillance Charges

Some potential defenses to unlawful surveillance charges include 3

No expectation of privacy: The viewing or recording occurred somewhere open to the public, without any reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g. a crowded park).
No sexual/intimate content: The images or video captured did not reveal intimate body parts or sexual activity.
Misidentification: The defendant was not the actual perpetrator.
Consent: The subject was aware of and consented to the viewing or recording.
Intent: The viewing or recording was unintentional (such as accidentally walking in on someone changing).

An experienced criminal defense attorney can evaluate the specifics of the case and determine if any of these defenses apply.

Police Investigation and Evidence Gathering

Unlawful surveillance cases are mainly investigated by the NYPD or other local police departments. The first step is usually securing and examining any devices that may contain evidence, such as cell phones, cameras, or computers. 3

Police may obtain search warrants to search these devices or online accounts associated with the suspect. They can also conduct interviews with the suspect – any statements made can potentially be used as evidence, so suspects should exercise their right to remain silent. 5

Protecting Your Rights During a Police Investigation

If you are being questioned or accused of unlawful surveillance, here are some tips:

Remain silent and politely decline to answer any questions until you have a lawyer present. Anything you say can be used against you. 5
Do not consent to any searches of your home, devices, accounts or online storage. Make clear you do not consent to any search.
Contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer immediately. They can interact with police on your behalf and ensure your rights are protected.3
Do not tamper with, destroy or discard any devices police may be interested in, even if you believe they contain incriminating evidence. This can lead to additional charges of obstructing justice. 5
Be polite and compliant with police instructions, but do not volunteer any information without a lawyer present.

The Victim’s Perspective

For victims, unlawful surveillance can be an extremely traumatic invasion of privacy and trust. Many feel violated at having their most intimate moments recorded and even disseminated without consent. The effects can include severe emotional distress, loss of trust in others, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. 6

Victims face the fear of not knowing how widely images or videos of them may have been shared online or with others. The effects can last for years and negatively impact relationships, school, work, and other areas of life.

Seeking Justice and Healing

Victims have a few options to seek justice and start the healing process:

Report the crime to police: This starts the official investigation and criminal justice process. Police may be able to obtain evidence from the perpetrator’s devices and build a case against them. 3
Connect with support resources: Counseling, support groups, advocacy organizations and hotlines can provide emotional support and help navigate the legal process.
Consider civil legal action: Victims may sue perpetrators in civil court for damages related to the unlawful surveillance. A civil case has a lower standard of proof than criminal.
Advocate for change: Some victims join advocacy groups or speak out publicly to raise awareness about unlawful surveillance and demand legislative changes to better protect privacy.

While the process is difficult, taking action often helps victims regain a sense of power over the situation and begin healing. With support, many survivors of unlawful surveillance are able to move forward in their lives.

College Campus Issues

Many recent unlawful surveillance cases have involved college students secretly recording their peers in dorms, locker rooms, bathrooms and other locations where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.In addition to criminal charges, students accused of unlawful surveillance on campus may face disciplinary action under Title IX and the college’s code of conduct. Possible sanctions include suspension or expulsion. Colleges also have an obligation under Title IX to support victims of sexual misconduct, including unlawful surveillance.Some ways colleges can address unlawful surveillance include:

Educating students about the serious legal and disciplinary consequences
Implementing honor codes that explicitly prohibit unlawful surveillance
Providing training on issues like privacy, consent, and respectful behavior
Increasing security measures in high-risk areas like bathrooms and locker rooms
Offering counseling, academic accommodations and other support to victims

Unlawful Surveillance Laws in the Digital Age

Rapid advances in digital technology have opened new avenues for unlawful surveillance, raising concerns that the law has not kept pace. Issues include:Smartphones: Smartphones with high-resolution, hidden cameras make it easy for anyone to secretly record intimate images.Tech company policies: Many tech companies initially resisted policies to quickly remove nonconsensual intimate images that were reported to them or posted on their platforms. Public pressure has led some such as Facebook to change their stance, but problems remain industry-wide.Deepfakes: Apps can now use AI to create realistic but fake nude images of a person without their consent. These “deepfakes” further exploit victims.Metadata: Images contain metadata revealing details about where and when they were taken. Some lawmakers want to require this data be shown to help prevent unlawful surveillance.There have been efforts at both state and federal levels to update unlawful surveillance laws for the digital age. But many advocates say more comprehensive legal reform is still needed to adequately protect both privacy and free expression online.

The Complexity of Unlawful Surveillance Laws

There are good-faith arguments on both sides of unlawful surveillance legislation:

Privacy advocates want stronger laws and penalties to deter unlawful surveillance and protect victims. They argue privacy must be balanced with free speech concerns.
Civil liberties groups caution that overly broad laws could unintentionally criminalize some forms of free expression that should be legal, such as political protests in public spaces.
Lawmakers have the difficult task of trying to craft legislation that keeps pace with evolving technology while considering all sides of these complex First Amendment issues.
Law enforcement officials want clearer statutes that are realistic to prosecute. They have called some state laws vague and overly broad.

There are also debates over issues like requiring websites to remove nonconsensual content, holding platforms liable for such content, outlawing deepfakes, requiring metadata on photos, and more.These are challenging issues with reasonable arguments on both sides. Any solutions will require nuance and compromise between competing interests of privacy, free speech, and justice.

Paths Forward: Education, Social Change, Better Laws

While there are no perfect solutions, going forward there are several approaches that could help address the problem of unlawful surveillance:Better education: Teach concepts like privacy, consent and respecting boundaries from an early age in schools. Expand educational campaigns especially on college campuses.Promote social change: Challenge toxic cultural attitudes that objectify people and normalize nonconsensual activity. Make it socially unacceptable to take or share intimate images without consent.Update laws: Reform state and federal laws to more effectively deter unlawful surveillance and protect victims in the digital age while considering civil liberties concerns.Corporate responsibility: Pressure technology companies and social media platforms to enact and enforce policies prohibiting unlawful content.Victim support: Provide counseling, legal help and other support to empower victims to pursue justice and healing.With a combination of education, advocacy, updated laws, corporate responsibility and support for victims, we can work to make unlawful surveillance socially and legally unacceptable. The issue certainly presents complex challenges, but progress is possible if all stakeholders work collaboratively to enact reasonable solutions.

Conclusion

Unlawful surveillance is a growing problem that can have devastating impacts on victims. While advancing technology has enabled new forms of these troubling crimes, it has also allowed victims to speak out and advocate for meaningful reform. By continuing to educate, promote social change, update laws, pressure tech companies, and support victims, we can make progress in reducing unlawful surveillance. But it will require nuanced solutions that strike a balance between privacy, civil liberties, free expression and justice. If all sides work together, solutions are within reach to stamp out these unacceptable invasions of privacy.