A Maryland man is facing 16 years in prison for videotaping an undercover police officer who pulled him over on his motorcycle. Anthony Graber posted footage of the gun-wielding plainclothes cop on YouTube and was promptly arrested. His actions, say the police, violate U.S. wiretapping laws that require both parties to consent before a private conversation can be recorded. That's "a stretch, to put it mildly," says Adam Cohen at Time. Surely a police officer pulling someone over on a busy highway is "engaging in a public act." Not only that, says Chris Matyszczyk at CNet, but the police themselves have a "highly technological penchant for dashboard cams." If they can sell that footage to crime-stopper TV shows, why can't the public do the same? Watch the incident below:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
In what countries is assisted dying legal or in consideration for being made legal?In the spotlight More countries are granting more people the right to die
-
5 captivating books to read in Maythe week recommends Brittney Griner tells her own story, a coming-of-middle-age novel and more
-
The secretive practice of 'catch-and-kill' tabloid journalismThe Explainer Outlets such as the National Enquirer have become infamous for using the practice
