Is it legal to film and record in public areas in Sweden?

Question

The title says it all: Is it legal to film and record anything in public areas in Sweden (e.g. using a mobile phone)? Starting from roads/trees/object to people and especially the police (e.g. in a case when police want to possibly arrest somebody and use violence).

Any help would be appreciated.

P.S 1: I know it's illegal to do so in private areas.

P.S 2: I know it's also illegal to do so in metro or commuter trains without permission. However, I'm not sure whether I'm still allowed to film e.g. police in there or not.

Answer 1

Due to the Sweden's constitution, it's permitted to "film in public areas". However, systematic filming using surveillance cameras is prohibitted (or require special license).

In case people captured and starred in the clip, one need to have a permission from them before publishing.

Answer 2

I am not living in Sweden so I am not familiar with local legislation. However everyone within Europe has a fundamental right to privacy (and a related but separate right to data protection). If filming is capturing other people's images then it could be argued that it is interfering with these fundamental rights. Obviously it can be counter-argued that a person's right to privacy is diminished when they are in a public space but it doesn't disappear altogether. Generally this argument is influenced by lots of other factors e.g how famous the person is, how the film will be used etc.