© Chris WhiteTerrorist? - Chris White took this picture of his daughter in Braehead
Chris White took a picture of Hazel eating an ice cream in the Braehead shopping centre, near Glasgow.
A security guard told him it was illegal to take pictures in the centre.
A spokesperson for Braehead said it wanted to "maintain a safe and enjoyable environment" for shoppers.
Mr White told BBC Scotland he was approached by a security guard after photographing his daughter "looking cute on the back of a vespa seat at an ice cream bar" at about 16:00 on Friday.
He said the security guard asked him to delete any photos he had taken from his mobile phone.
Terrorism Act
Mr White explained that he had already posted two photos, in which his daughter was the only person in the shot, to Facebook.
The police were called and Mr White was told there were "clear signs" saying no photographs were allowed.
Mr White said that one officer claimed that under the Prevention of Terrorism Act he was within in his rights to confiscate the mobile phone on which the photos were taken.
He said the police officers took his details and he was eventually allowed to leave.
By Monday morning, more than 4,000 people had "liked" the campaign page which had been set up on Facebook.
Supt George Nedley, of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde division, said: "I can confirm we have received a complaint regarding this incident and one of my senior officers has spoken to Mr White regarding this.
"As a result a full review of the circumstances surrounding the incident and the allegations made is under way."
A spokesman for Braehead said: "Staff at an ice cream stall in Braehead became suspicious after they saw a male shopper taking photographs at their counter.
"The staff thought the man had also been taking photographs of them and they alerted one of the centre's security staff."
He added: "The member of security staff approached the man and politely asked if he had been taking photographs. Because of the nature of the incident, police became involved and also spoke to the man.
"Our priority is always to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for all of our shoppers and retailers. The member of our security staff acted in good faith.
"We have a 'no photography' policy in the centre to protect the privacy of staff and shoppers and to have a legitimate opportunity to challenge suspicious behaviour if required.
"However, it is not our intention to - and we do not - stop innocent family members taking pictures."
Reader Comments
the security camera's which are probably all over the place. They can watch you, but you can't watch them, apparently. Kinda sad how this "security" business seems to be reducing so many into an infantile state of mind. The sad fact that the workers in the ice cream shop couldn't tell he was taking pictures of his daughter speaks volumes to what these people want us to start behaving like.
We are all becoming too suspicious with malicious intent; of a mindset to report fellow citizens to 'authority' in order to cause them difficulties, or simply because we believe they have broken a crass rule that protects nobody. Truly, the outside world is becoming like a classroom, with obedience paramount to being present. So many rules, most oppressive or ridiculous to clamp down on us all, to impart fear from straying from a path so complex that not stepping on the cracks is impossible. Be aware of this before it is too late, but it may already be too late!
Simply a waste of police time.
How important these Ice Cream sales people must feel themselves in the scheme of things, to report a man photographing his child eating ice cream as a suspicious event in their day. It is laughable, if it weren't so awful.