on youtube I watched a British reality show about airports and (mostly foreign) passengers being searched for anything illegal.

What I find troubling is that many of these passengers speak very little English and find it difficult to articulate an answer to what officers ask in English. I remember an Indian national who didn’t speak any English that though he had the right visa to work in the UK, only to find he had been duped by an Indian scammer and was refused entry. He started crying and the crew filmed the whole scene.

This is humiliating to say the least and I wouldn’t want this to happen to me if I visit the UK. My questions:

  • Should a reality crew start recording me, do I have a right to my image and can I tell them to stop recording me? Do tv crews respect that?

  • What about the police? Can they record my face, even if I don’t consent?

  • I also have a cultural question: If an officer at a British airport asks you if he can search your luggage and you say no and you ask him if you are under arrest, what happens then?

  • @[email protected]English
    -1•11 months ago

    They can’t broadcast your image without consent.

    My friend is a photographer and they have to get people to sign a form before they can use any photos with people in.

    You’ll often see people with their faces blurred in these shows and that’s why.

    If the police have body cams you will be recorded but again they can’t broadcast this.

    As for searches:

    Stop and question: police powers

    A police officer might stop you and ask:

    what your name is what you’re doing in the area where you’re going

    You don’t have to stop or answer any questions. If you don’t and there’s no other reason to suspect you, then this alone can’t be used as a reason to search or arrest you.

    Stop and search: police powers

    A police officer has powers to stop and search you if they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect you’re carrying:

    illegal drugs a weapon stolen property something which could be used to commit a crime, such as a crowbar

    You can only be stopped and searched without reasonable grounds if it has been approved by a senior police officer. This can happen if it is suspected that:

    serious violence could take place you’re carrying a weapon or have used one you’re in a specific location or area

    • @adam_yEnglish
      7•11 months ago

      They can’t broadcast your image without consent.

      Yeah, this isn’t true.

    • losttourist
      4•11 months ago

      They can’t broadcast your image without consent.

      They absolutely can. The principle has been tested multiple times in court and the case law is very clear - anyone who is in a public place can have no reasonable expectation of privacy. If a photo is taken and published, or video is recorded and shown then anyone in the crowd is basically fair game.

      For under-18s there is a code of ethics that means any responsible photographer will blur out the faces of anyone who appears to be a child, but even that’s (probably) not enforceable by law.