Digital cameras and the law

PC World has an article entitled "Your Digital Camera and the Law" that tries to alleviate some of the confusion about what's legal to photograph and where it's okay to use a camera. The author says that "In general, you can photograph anything or anyone as long as you are on public property. Public property includes city streets, municipal parks, and national parks and forests" but doesn't include "places like the mall, parking lots, churches, or amusement parks." The author doesn't have much advise on what to do if you are challenged by the police or by anyone else - he seems to feel it's best to just comply. He also points out that New York City is embroiled in an effort to limit public photography and links to "Picture New York Without Pictures of New York" for a fascinating look at how photo rights in the Big Apple are changing.