1950's era public records laws that were written so newspaper reporters could trudge down to the courthouse and get access to the mugshots of a (nationally or locally) notorious criminal have been perverted in the internet age so now mugshots are a source of voyeuristic entertainment.
The narrative of "WELL YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOU...": does not work in this situation.
These laws need to be updated.
We cannot control the internet, but we can control what information governments release on the internet. It's high time our society got very serious about preserving privacy in the information age...
Why is this important?
End the 1950's era public records law. We are now in the 21st Century era of unlimited information exchange. Mugshots are now a source of voyeuristic entertainment.
