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People Staring at Computers

kylemcdonald.net

41–50 of 349 posts

Re: People Staring at Computers

#41
post #20

yeah no. installing spyware and taking pictures of people without their consent is shady af. also the logic of “oh the apple store has glass windows” therefore i can do this illegal shit is mind boggling

It wasn't illegal, hence why no charges were ever filed.

If I took your computer and installed spyware without your consent, that would be legal?

Absolutely incorrect. Where do you get this idea from?

Re: People Staring at Computers

#42
post #24

"I was still under the false belief that all varieties of law enforcement are designed to protect the public from harm. It was a sign of my privilege, and of my naive faith in the system." > Systems are designed first, to benefit their creators, and subsequently their controllers, and then everyone else. Unless you designed the system, you should assume it's not designed to benefit you by default.

As always: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_wha...

Re: People Staring at Computers

#43

“I continue to work with faces” is incredible in the context of installing spyware on Apple Store computers that secretly photographs customers.

To be clear, the computers already were taking pictures. This was to draw attention to that fact. Perhaps the computers for public use should not take photos?

> This was to draw attention to that fact.

Nowhere in the post do I have an indication this is trying to say "wake up Apple customers! Their imacs are taking pictures of you while you're in the store!". It's not as if people aren't already recorded 24/7 by security cameras in retail stores.

Re: People Staring at Computers

#44
post #39

> And because it's the internet, there were the inevitable flames against me It's not "because it's the internet", it's because publishing images of nonconsenting people is widely disliked.

Yeah - I had a negative reaction to this in 2011, if anything it’s only soured more in time (and the artist seems even less aware of why people hated it or why he was investigated).

It’s also the low quality (imo) type of art that does a disservice to the rest. Like the blank canvas art hung in the SF MOMA, it’s the stuff you roll your eyes at and ignore.

A lot of the art at RPI was like that.

They should have prosecuted him, maybe then his lawyers could have explained to him why what he did was wrong.

Re: People Staring at Computers

#45
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think all crimes are prosecuted? There are plenty of things where the cops say "its illegal, but not worth our time". Going 5-over in a 70mph zone is a good example.

> There are plenty of things where the cops say "its illegal, but not worth our time" Yes, and not many of these involve sending the secret service for a visit anyway.

[deleted]

Re: People Staring at Computers

#46
They installed spyware on someone else's computers. Of course that's illegal, regardless of whether or not the AG decided to go after them.

Are people serious here? There's nothing ethical or legal going on with the blog post here. The fact that they got off is just luck. There's no whistleblowing or any other protection granted, and there shouldn't be. Period.

And the worst part in my opinion is the author has no intention of not doing something like this again. They think they're in the right. Probably because they got off the first time.

Re: People Staring at Computers

#48

I find myself wondering how old this man was when he did this. It kinda feels like the sort of antics someone gets up to before their brain has fully developed the capacity of understanding things like "consequences". Although it got him in the NY Times and that's pretty good from the perspective of "all publicity is good publicity" I guess. He's wikinotable but neither the wikipedia page nor his website has a date o…

IIRC he was a couple years out of school at the time, probably ~23-24

Re: People Staring at Computers

#49

I find myself wondering how old this man was when he did this. It kinda feels like the sort of antics someone gets up to before their brain has fully developed the capacity of understanding things like "consequences". Although it got him in the NY Times and that's pretty good from the perspective of "all publicity is good publicity" I guess. He's wikinotable but neither the wikipedia page nor his website has a date o…

IIRC he was a couple years out of school at the time, probably ~23-24

Sounds about right.

Re: People Staring at Computers

#50
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wasn't illegal, hence why no charges were ever filed.

If I took your computer and installed spyware without your consent, that would be legal? Absolutely incorrect. Where do you get this idea from?

> without your consent

The author mentions getting consent from Apple employees on multiple occasions. If you asked me if you could install spyware on my computer and I said "yes", then of course it would be legal.

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