What is The Video Voyeurism Prevention Act?
The Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004 (VVPA), codified in 18 U.S. Code § 1801, helped adapt privacy protections to the expanding digital world by defining the federal offense and imposing sanctions for offenders. Some states have gone even further to punish those using hidden cameras and other recording devices, with laws that address these sex crimes. Given the steady stream of video voyeurism cases in criminal courts across the nation, more states are adopting stricter penalties to punish these offenders.
Voyeurism involves the secret recordings or observations of another person’s private areas without their consent for lewd purposes or sexual gratification when the victims have a reasonable expectation of privacy. While voyeurism laws protect against nonconsensual viewing of buttocks and the female breast, they can also apply to private areas covered by undergarments as well.
The VVPA established an updated federal law to address the use of camcorders, smartphones, and other digital devices to record people without their permission. This includes the use of hidden cameras, unauthorized surveillance footage, and tactics such as “up skirting” in which an individual attempts to take a picture or recording of the genitals or pubic area of someone wearing a dress or skirt.
Engaging in any type of nonconsensual voyeurism, video or otherwise, is illegal and can lead to serious repercussions. Under 18 U.S.C. 1801, offenders face fines and up to a year imprisonment for each charge.
State laws have proved even more vigilant in identifying new forms of video voyeurism and imposing stricter sanctions.
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