The state of Maryland has one of the most rigid laws prohibiting wiretapping. But advocates say those rules need to be rewritten in an era of cellphone cameras and YouTube. And they point to a growing list of controversial news stories and viral videos involving police actions in the Old Line State. We'll look at the strengths and limitations of the current rules, and whether recording devices are changing police practices.
The amazing thing is that the Maryland police have an exception that allows the them to make a videotape, but citizens cannot. The Maryland state police did not participate in the show, but Joseph Cassilly, the state's attorney for Harford County, did. Kojo and his other guests (David Rittgers of the CATO Institute and David Rocah from the ACLU) agree that Maryland is overreaching. Maryland's interpretation of the law would permit anyone whose conversations are recorded and put up on YouTube to charge the videotaper with a felony (if they could argue that they had a reasonable expectation of privacy).
Do you think that this was a private conversation?
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