All public records are presumed to be open, and may only be withheld if a specific, statutory exemption applies.
Virginia Code 18.2-386.1 specifically addresses the unlawful filming, videotaping, or photographing of another person without their consent. This can include situations where the person is filmed without their knowledge in a private space, such as their home or a locker room.
Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), citizens of Virginia and representatives of the media in Virginia have the right to access public records, either by inspecting the public records or receiving copies of them. FOIA also requires that public bodies make their meetings open to the public to watch.
Virginia is a one-party consent state. (Meanwhile, Section 19.2-69 provides for civil damages.) However, Section 19.2-62 provides that this is not an offense when the person is a party to the communication or one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to the interception.
Most people remember when it was illegal to record audio for just about any reason if someone didn't know they were being recorded. However, Virginia is now one of 35 states that are considered one-party consent. That means only one party in a conversation needs to consent in order for a recording to be legal.
Informed consent. A. No human research shall be conducted in the absence of informed consent subscribed to in writing by the individual or by the individual's legally authorized representative except as provided for in subsection F of this section.
Health care entities shall disclose health records to the individual who is the subject of the health record, including an audit trail of any additions, deletions, or revisions to the health record, if specifically requested, except as provided in subsections E and F and subsection B of § 8.01-413.
Virginia is considered a “single-party consent” jurisdiction. Va. Code § 19.2-62. That generally means that as long as a participant in a conversation consents to the communication being recorded, it is not illegal to record the conversation.
In many states, including Virginia, there is an implied consent law that compels motorists to submit to such testing, or else they will face certain mandatory penalties. Anyone who is on the road should know what this law states as well as what his or her rights may be.
Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), citizens of Virginia and representatives of the media in Virginia have the right to access public records, either by inspecting the public records or receiving copies of them. FOIA also requires that public bodies make their meetings open to the public to watch.