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TO:Federal & State Elected Officials

Dear Elected Official:

I am writing to you to express my concern about the increase in unauthorized surveillance of individuals within the privacy of their own homes. I recently learned that there is no federal law against this and that it is legal in many states as well!

Under federal law, it is a crime to knowingly transport or travel in or use interstate commerce or an interactive computer service to sell or distribute obscene pictures or films or sound recordings or any other matter of indecent or immoral character, so if a voyeur keeps his unauthorized surveillance photos, films and sound recordings to himself, or if he transports them across state lines but they are not "obscene" (just terribly embarrassing), then he has violated no federal law.

Some enlightened states have filled in the former loopholes in their "Peeping Tom" laws. In Delaware, for example, a person is guilty of violation of privacy when he (1) trespasses on private property intending to subject anyone to eavesdropping or other surveillance or (2) installs in a private place, without consent, any device for observing, photographing, recording, amplifying, or broadcasting sounds or events in that place. Many states are not so enlightened yet. In those states voyeurs are allowed to place sophisticated electronic transmission equipment within their victims' property, without their victims' consent, and record, transmit or simply watch their victims' private activity. Voyeurs often access victims' property through the permission of the property owner on the basis of another legitimate activity such as a social visit or requested service call. Then, while not being observed, the voyeur installs surveillance equipment without the property owner's permission.

The federal Communications Decency Act (CDA) needs to be revised to preclude installing in a private place, without consent, any device for observing, photographing, recording, amplifying, or broadcasting sounds or events in that place. This law also needs to be amended to make any such actions by a voyeur punishable as a Class 1 felony to deter individuals from this activity.

I am interested in protecting my privacy and that of others, and I am concerned about the loopholes in the CDA. Please assure me that you are taking the appropriate action to secure these amendments and protect the public from such inappropriate and invasive actions. This issue is important to me and many of your constituents.

Please acknowledge this message and let me know your position on this matter.

My personal message to you is:

Sincerely,

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