Laws of Image: Privacy and Publicity in America

By Samantha Barbas ’94. Barbas, a law professor at the law school at SUNY Buffalo, explains the origin and evolution of Americans’ use of laws to protect their images. She argues that “The laws of image are the expression of a people who have become so publicity-conscious and self-focused that they believe they have a right to control their images—to manage and spin them like actors, politicians, and rock stars.”