View Single Post
  #53  
Old July 9th 18, 03:34 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 24,165
Default Is it really illegal to snap a picture of a clerk in a Post Office?

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:

I seem to the question of your subject line was debated at length some
time ago and the conclusion that was eventually reached was that:

1. A Post Office is a space to which the public may have access but
it is not a 'public space' in the strict sense of that term.

2. The post office and its premises are the subject of acts and
regulations which define what should or should not be done.

3. Photographs may not be taken within a post office of the staff or
the premises without the permission of the post master.

I expect someone will correct me if I am wrong.


that might be true where you live but it isn't applicable to the usa,
where the post to which you are replying is referring.

for usa post offices:
https://about.usps.com/postal-bullet.../html/info_005.
html
Informal snapshots from handheld cameras for personal use may be
allowed at the postmaster1s discretion provided that there is no
disruption to Postal Service operations and that the pictures are
taken from areas accessible to the public. In these cases, no prior
permission is required from the Office of Rights and Permissions;
however, no lighting or scaffolding may be set up, and no picture can
depict any Postal Service employee, customer, security camera, or
cover of mail (i.e., the exterior of a mailpiece, which would show
customer name and address among other things). Postmasters may
restrict any and all photography if they determine that it is
disruptive or there are potential security concerns.


You have confirmed most of what I have written, particularly when you
wrote: "Informal snapshots from handheld cameras for personal use may
be allowed at the postmaster1s discretion ... Postmasters may restrict
any and all photography if they determine that it is disruptive or
there are potential security concerns."


not quite.

you missed this key part:
In these cases, no prior
permission is required from the Office of Rights and Permissions;


which contradicts your #3.

basically, photos in the lobby area are not an issue as long as you
don't make a nuisance of yourself, however, the postmaster can still
tell you to leave.

as i said, it may be different where you are, but the original query
was about constitutional rights, therefore it's about the usa.