“You are not allowed to publish a picture identifying an alleged suspect in a crime on WhatsApp or on Facebook before this person had appeared before a court of law,” he stressed. *The South African Police Service Act strictly forbids this.* The same applies to pictures of anybody who might be a witness in a criminal case.

“Members of neighbourhood watches often take pictures of suspects at crime scenes, which you can do, but the moment you send the picture to someone else or post it to a social media platform, it is considered published,” he said. Posting photos could lead to vigilantism

According to Cloete, the only exception applies when the investigating officer on the scene gives his permission for the picture to be published. In addition to the Police Act, section 35 of the Constitution affords every citizen the right to a fair trial.

“The publication of a photo identifying the alleged perpetrator could thus render the trial unfair and it might result in the suspect being acquitted. The same applies if the perpetrator is identified in public before an ID parade has taken place,” said Cloete. The publication of such a photo could furthermore defeat the ends of justice, by hampering a pending investigation. “It can also lead to vigilante action in cases where the person arrested is innocent, but as a result of the published photo, which depicts him as a criminal, the community takes the law into its own hands.” Cloete says vigilante action is rife in many areas of Cape Town. When publishing such a photo a person could also land him or herself on the receiving end of a defamation lawsuit. “Everyone has the right to a good name and reputation and the person who taints this with defamatory statements, by posting such a photo, can be held liable for damages in civil court,” said Cloete, adding that numerous complainants have won such cases in recent years.

*Danger of unlawful arrest, detention*

Lastly the publication of such a photo could result in unlawful arrest and detention. In the case between Mkwanazi and three others, the Minister of Police was successfully sued for an unlawful arrest when the aforesaid men were unlawfully arrested following a WhatsApp post that was picked up by police. “In the post the men were identified as perpetrators, which prompted police to arrest and detain them only to find out two days later that these were the wrong men,” said Cloete

In this case the policemen involved did not investigate or analyse the information received from the members of the community. “It can happen so easily. We have to be very careful what we publish on social media platforms such as WhatsApp. If you see a person in your neighbourhood and you have grounds to believe him to be a criminal, don’t just take a photo, naming him a suspect, and post it. Rather state the facts around the circumstances and post that,” Cloete advised the audience.

*Further info to Bear in Mind*

You can take a photo of anyone, anywhere as the act of taking a photo is not illegal. There are few exceptions which pertain to government installations that carry restrictions. The photographer has to carry out his shoot *being mindful not to infringe on others right to privacy,* accommodate trespass laws and should be cognisant not to infringe on the copyright of other artworks. Bearing in mind the taking of photos and the publishing of photos are two separate issues.

*Privacy Revealed*

A number plate is the key to finding out information about the car’s owner, without his or her consent. Of course a number plate is not hidden on a day to day basis, but when a picture of a number plate is on the internet, it’s available for the world to see at any given time. And you can discover a lot from a number plate.

How? There are both legal and illegal ways to discover a person’s name, address and more. So suggest for own safety, for privacy concerns, for concerns that ongoing investigations by SAPS may be compromised.

*Please do NOT post pictures with registration plates visible.*