Invasive photography

The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå), on instruction from the Government, has carried out a study of how the law on photographic activity constituting invasion of privacy (referred to in this report as invasive photography) is applied in the criminal justice system. The report is based on criminal statistics, a review of 293 case files (reports filed and preliminary investigations), and 104 verdicts. We have also interviewed 40 police officers, public prosecutors, judges, and other officials in the criminal justice system.

The law on invasive photography was passed on 1 July 2103 and prohibits “unlawfully, by technical means, in secrecy, taking a picture of any person who is indoors in a residence or in a lavatory, a dressing room, or other similar space” (Penal Code Chapter 4, section 6 a). The regulation was passed to protect personal integrity in a previously unregulated area, hidden filming.