But if people generally believe the folk version of the law, does it really help to be technically in the clear? You can still easily find yourself in an really unpleasant and pointless confrontation.

If you avoid the slightest possibility of unpleasant and pointless confrontations, then you’re going to lead a very dull life. I sometimes photograph random people. Never has anyone had an issue with that. Sometimes they approach me and we have a chat. That’s all that happens. I’ve had more chances of being hit by a car than anyone having an issue with me taking pictures of them. Boils down not being a dick about it.

"I'm not an animal in the zoo." how about that?

You are being a dick by taking my picture without permission. That's what it boils down to.

When we were travelling in the Andes, we were warned multiple times to not take photographs of local peoples without their permission as they could take offense. Seems like a reasonable position but should the wishes of people in the Andes be respected while those of people in Europe ignored? If so, why?

Is it standard for people in the Andes to take offence at people taking pictures of them? I don’t know, maybe it is, haven’t been there. It is not in Europe.

Err.. what?

If you walk up to a random European on the street and start taking photos of specifically them, they’ll get agitated real quick.

Thanks for taking the most uncharitable interpretation of what I wrote possible. It’s so productive.

I would think you're a dick if I saw you taking pictures of me without asking. Also, a creep.

According to a lawsuit in 2020 [1] his friend is right.

From the lawsuit: "Ein gezieltes Fotografieren von fremden Personen ist auch dann unzulässig, wenn die Verwendung ausschließlich privaten Zwecken dienen soll."

Translation via DeepL: "Targeted photography of other people is not permitted even if the use is exclusively for private purposes."

[1] https://www.landesrecht-hamburg.de/bsha/document/NJRE0014656...

I find it difficult to understand the boundaries of private rights in public spaces with rulings like that one.

It's not like Hamburg residents have the freedom to opt out of surveillance cameras. Even Street View is back.

I would hope that such cases would use rules around harassment instead of privacy laws for people in public spaces.

How to tell what's targeted at you specifically and what's street photography art?

Who said anything about copyright?