No Right To Privacy

Several years ago I found myself spouting an unpopular opinion about the right to privacy in public places. I argued that individuals should not have the expectation of the right to privacy as they walk down any street in Manhattan, or elsewhere for that matter, where there are cameras. The conversation was with a group of lesbians who feared being outed by such cameras. While they gritted their teeth and shot dirty looks at me I still maintained my position and asserted that I probably had the law on my side. More recently, I had a similar conversatuon with my partner's brother (he's not gay) about a proposal he heard about to install cameras in nightclubs. It seemed, from his reading of the story, that this was being proposed as a safety measure against heinous acts like that perpetuated against a young college bound student several weeks ago. I once again stated my agreement with such installation but suggested that while this was a good way to deter crime, groups like the ACLU would oppose it based on privacy issues. And here we have it.

I guess I must have been reading the mind of city council speaker Christine Quinn as she proposed the installation of cameras in nightclubs. And my prediction that it would be challenged on grounds of the right to privacy was also spot on. Here we have Ms. Quinn being attacked for her proposal by gay activists and the New York Civil Liberties Union. While there are some legitimate concerns about cost and monitoring of said cameras I stll maintain that there is no right to privacy in public places. And to be different, gay activists are suggesting that gays will be outed because of such invasive measures. Well I guess the guy who is cheating on his wife could make the same argument, no?