Virtual Friend from Flickr, Huntter, got “detained and searched” over in England for taking pictures in a public space.

He’s not upset by it, and to this date, I thought it was only fodder for angry Boing Boing readers. But seeing how it happened to someone I know, I’m actually saddened and concerned.

I could say that “the terrorists have won”. But I think I’ll say that the Conservatives have gotten the upper hand. Not one of any of the terrorists caught in the US or UK were known to have photographs of their suspected targets. Read that again. Not one.

So why the harassment?

Plain and simple: pop culture has made us believe that they do. Movies show piles of photos of buildings as the FBI crashes through the doors of the evil terrorists’ hideout. So subsequently anyone with a camera is a terrorists.

I have to call bullshit.

If this is true, then Microsoft needs to rethink it’s Photosynth development, because the pictures they use to stitch together real time 3D views are, well… public shots.

Flickr is harboring potential evildoers.

Google Image Search is now banned.

You can see where I’m going with this. A policeman thinking he’s protecting us by deleting images off your camera is retarded. And I mean that in the non-political correct way. There is no logic in it.

I’m not advocating acting up or resisting unlawful searches, but it might be useful if you counter their argument with real facts. We’re still free. Let’s keep it that way.