Georgia lawmakers work to ban “upskirt” photos

State lawmakers are making good on a promise to change state law to so that it clearly prohibits taking sneaky pictures or video under someone’s clothing.

Last year, the Georgia Court of Appeals found in a 2013 Houston County case that such surreptitious photography is not technically illegal.

The case that started it all was that of an employee of the Perry Parkway Publix, who had been convicted of one count of criminal invasion of privacy for creeping around behind a shopper and shooting video under her skirt while pretending to tie his shoe. The court reversed his conviction.

But under the Gold Dome in Atlanta, it’s universally agreed that what’s called “upskirting” ought to be illegal. The discussion in the state House and Senate is mostly about how exactly to define the behavior so that it covers all the creepy methods used by high-tech Peeping Toms, but doesn’t criminalize innocent photography in public.

A state Senate panel on Thursday approved a bill on the topic by state Sen. Larry Walker III, R-Perry. Senate Bill 45 specifies that sneaking photos of peoples’ undergarments or intimate parts is a crime.

Across the building in the state House, hearings are ongoing on a similar bill, House Bill 9, by state Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire.

Correction: A Feb. 10 version of this story incorrectly identified the court that made the upskirt ruling. It was the Georgia Court of Appeals.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Georgia lawmakers work to ban “upskirt” photos."