Mug shot proposal pits privacy versus the right to know
Posted Feb 19, 2019 12:39:01 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s governor doesn’t want state police to routinely release mug shots of criminal suspects, or arrest booking records about exactly what they are accused of doing.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal is the latest by states aimed at curtailing the so-called “internet shaming industry”— websites that claim to be able to remove embarrassing information such as booking mug shots from the web for a fee.
Under Cuomo’s proposal, unless there is a compelling law enforcement reason to do so, the public release of booking mugs and arrest information would be refused as “an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”
Many journalists and civil libertarians are opposed to such measures, calling them an infringement on the public’s right to know what the government is doing.
Chris Carola, The Associated Press
