Q: Is it illegal to unblurr photos of people that news sites post, and then post the people's first and last name?
I'm only curious because the topic recently came up in a discussion I was having. I feel like its illegal, and a violation of some kind of privacy law. But I can't find any specifics for that situation.
A: Privacy law in the US is very, very weak. Generally, a photo can be published unless it is lewd, prevented by law, protected under intellectual property laws or taken in a place of reasonable expectation of privacy. The definition of "reasonable expectation of privacy" is case law driven and tends to favor the approach that if a normal person could see it, there is no expectation of privacy. Names can be published unless prevented by court order or law (this often occur with sex crimes).
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