Jim Sensenbrenner: “Mr. Speaker, S. 1301 imposes civil and criminal penalties for intentionally capturing an image of a private area of an…”

“Mr. Speaker, S. 1301 imposes civil and criminal penalties for intentionally capturing an image of a private area of an individual without the individual's consent and in a circumstance where the individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy. With the development of smaller cameras and the instantaneous distribution capability of the Internet, the issue of video voyeurism is a huge privacy concern. Unsuspecting adults, as well as high school students and children, have been targeted in school locker rooms, department store dressing rooms, and even in their homes. One egregious example occurred in Monroe, Louisiana, where a neighbor installed cameras in Susan Wilson's attic. Using those cameras, the neighbor had been watching the Wilsons for months, but because Louisiana had no laws at the time to prosecute the invasion of privacy, the Wilsons have no options for redress. Many States have since passed laws that target video voyeurism to protect those in private areas, but there are fewer protections for those who may be photographed in compromising positions in public places. S. 1301 makes the acts of video voyeurism illegal on Federal land such as national parks and Federal buildings, using the well- accepted legal concept that individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy.”