topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2248.38 -0.98
DAX 6724.96 -0.94
IBEX 30 8834.8 -0.76
CAC 40 3399.94 -0.72
FTSE 100 5875.21 -0.34
AEX 322.75 -0.73
DJIA 12890.46 0.05
Nasdaq 2927.23 0.39
FTSE MIB 16597.65 -0.34
TSX Composite 12497.94 -0.18
ASX 4322.6 -0.79
Hang seng 20783.86 -1.08
Straits Times 2960 -0.71
ISEQ 20 502.43 -0.25
You are here: Home News Spanish News YouTube footage lands fine for Madrid filmmakers

Spanish News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


24/07/2008YouTube footage lands fine for Madrid filmmakers

Disgruntled residents of Madrid’s red light district were fined for uploading videos which captured prostitutes and clients on the street.

24 July 2008

MADRID - Posting videos on internet site YouTube for the whole world to see is free. But, as a group of irate residents of Madrid's red light district recently found out, uploading amateur footage without the consent of the people depicted can end up costing dear.

In a landmark decision, the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has fined an association representing residents of Madrid's Montera street EUR 601 for distributing 22 videos showing prostitutes and clients on the street.

In 20 of the videos, the faces of the people have been distorted to hide their identities, but in two others clients and prostitutes are clearly identifiable in what the AEPD has described as a serious violation of the Data Protection Law.

"The images were not obtained consensually and, in addition, they were distributed [on YouTube]," Artemi Rallo, the president of the AEPD, told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday.

The residents' association posted the videos in October 2007 after one of its members set up a camera running round the clock on a balcony overlooking Montera street.

The aim, say association representatives, was to highlight the "sexual exploitation" of women that takes place on the street.

The videos are one of several pressure tactics the association has used to try to dissuade prostitution on Montera street, as they campaign for Madrid City Hall to clean up the area, which lies in the heart of the capital's shopping district, a stone's throw from the emblematic Puerta del Sol square.

"This is not an ideological issue... We want [prostitution] to be regulated for those women who want to do it, but most are exploited by mafia groups. Political will is needed to resolve this," one representative of the association said Tuesday.

He claimed that the AEPD was using the case against the association, which had not been triggered by any complaint, as a way to set a precedent in order to act against other people publishing similar videos on the internet. Under Spanish law, distributing images of people without their consent can carry a fine of up to EUR 300,000.

The AEPD said the fine against the association had been reduced to EUR 601 because it had attempted to hide the identity of the people in most of the videos and had not apparently sought to "harm the image of passersby".

[El Pais / Alvaro H. Rivero / Expatica]

If you would like to comment on this topic, you can do so below or in our discussion forums at http://forum.expatica.com/Spain-f208.html. (Forums require a personal profile. Sign up here.)


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

English in Spain

Public (free) primary schools in Barcelona + surrounding areas.

Jobs in Spain

IFAs / FSIs / Country Managers / Confidential Introducers

Community Noticeboard Spain

Barcelona-stay updated!

Housing in Spain

Sitges, Barcelona - 5 Bedroom Villa € 1,150,000 For Sale

Jobs in Spain

“Silicon Valley Comes to Barcelona”, 24th Feb 2012

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Expatica's Getting Started section will provide practical information on how you can open a bank account, exchange your driving licence, improve your Spanish, and more.

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Here's a guide to an extensive list of groups and clubs in Madrid for expats, from sports groups to social and family gatherings.

Groups and Clubs around Spain

Groups and Clubs around Spain

A brief introduction to our Tax section for Spain, from help with inheritance tax to accounting advice.

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in Spain, from what to ask the experts to opening a Spanish bank account.