Hidden camera laws in Massachusetts
The actual statute, in plain English — not a paraphrase of a paraphrase.
The statute
M.G.L. c. 272, § 105 (Photographing, Videotaping or Electronically Surveilling Partially Nude or Nude Person)
What it prohibits
Willfully and secretly photographing, videotaping, or surveilling a person’s intimate parts under or around their clothing where a reasonable person wouldn’t expect them to be visible, or a person who is nude or partially nude with a reasonable expectation of privacy — without their knowledge or consent. The law was rewritten within days after a 2014 state supreme court ruling found the prior version didn’t clearly cover “upskirting” in public, so it now reaches some public-place conduct too, not only private rooms.
Penalty
Not formally labeled misdemeanor/felony in the statute; punishable by up to 2.5 years in a house of correction and/or a fine up to $5,000.
If you've actually found something, the statute matters less than what you do next: read the six steps here.
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