‘Upskirt’ photo ruling draws lawmakers’ ire
BOSTON – Massachusetts lawmakers approved legislation Thursday to crack down on those who secretly take photographs of “the sexual or other intimate parts” of women or children in public.
Approval of the bill, which also would apply to male victims, came a day after the state’s highest court ruled that a man who took cellphone photos up the skirts of female passengers riding the Boston subway didn’t violate state law.
Top lawmakers said the bill will send a clear message to those who take so-called “upskirt” photos.
“It is sexual harassment. It’s an assault on another person whether it’s a child or an adult,” Senate President Therese Murray said moments after the Senate unanimously approved the bill.
The legislation says anyone who “photographs, videotapes or electronically surveils” another person’s sexual or intimate parts without that person’s consent would face a misdemeanor charge and a maximum penalty of 2½ years in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Google barge begins trip to new home
SAN FRANCISCO – Google’s mystery barge floated Thursday to its new home in the California delta after the Internet company was ordered to move it from San Francisco.
The odd-looking, four-story vessel made of recycled shipping containers departed from Treasure Island to comply with a Jan. 31 regulatory order concluding that Google Inc. didn’t have the proper permits to build it there.
Construction stopped on the project late last year.
Google says the barge will serve as an interactive technology center when it’s done. However, various theories have been floated about its purpose. Among the most popular have been that Google is building a party boat, roaming data center or aquatic store.
General says costs of leaks will be high
WASHINGTON –– The top U.S. military officer says it will take two years of study and billions of dollars to overcome the loss of security to military operations and tactics that were revealed in the massive stash of documents taken by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey tells the House Armed Services Committee the Pentagon set up a task force to determine how the documents could be used and how to mitigate the problem. He says the task force will take two years because of the “magnitude of this challenge.”
Associated Press
