There's a British chap who's been becoming popular on YouTube lately who does some interesting public filming which sounds like it might be similar (though not identical, as he is more focused on practicing his legal rights rather than provoking a reaction): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HmOju41Ma0
Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
41–50 of 74 posts
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the US, it is legal to photograph and film in public as long as there is not an expectation of privacy, such as a restroom. And it should remain legal. If I want to film a police officer arresting someone, they can't tell me to stop. If I'm on a public sidewalk filming a private business, they can't tell me to stop. You can't legally use someone's image in an advertisement without their consent. But that's differe…
>If I want to film a police officer arresting someone, they can't tell me to stop to clarify this is legal here as well. Places or people of public interest are excluded from this. So crimes, public figures, monuments, public buildings and so on you can photograph as much as you want. The law protects private individuals, say someone taking your picture specifically on a train, in a gym or what have you. >You don't o…
That is true but the idea is that the public space should not become a voyeuristic zoo.
Is looking at other people in public voyeuristic? Or is using a camera for watching it back later what makes it voyeuristic?
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
>If I want to film a police officer arresting someone, they can't tell me to stop to clarify this is legal here as well. Places or people of public interest are excluded from this. So crimes, public figures, monuments, public buildings and so on you can photograph as much as you want. The law protects private individuals, say someone taking your picture specifically on a train, in a gym or what have you. >You don't o…
I feel like people in the US really need to hear these perspectives when it comes to laws. We're a bit boarish here in the states and seem to approach laws in this all or nothing kind of way (I'm too tired to point out examples). But, showing that a law like this can be tweaked or nuanced nto the degree where yes you can film cops and no you can not film pedestrians or people eating outdoors at a cafe, might level us…
We should be very hesitant to create laws that we expect to be selectively enforced, because it empowers law enforcement to make all sorts of bad decisions in the moment.
This already happens with photos and filming despite the general presumption of legality. Adding a bunch of nuanced exceptions would make it much worse.
Understand that the way this works is that officers can stop you from filming at any time. Then later you might get a judge to say, “the officer had no legal right to stop you.” The officer goes “oops” and that’s it. Obviously you cannot go back in time and get the moment that you missed.
A clear, simple, well-known presumption of legality makes it a lot harder for a misbehaving officer to appeal to the concept of a “judgment call.” And it makes it easier for a judge to say “you should have known” and impose consequences on the officer.
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
It puts me in a tough spot, because on one hand I believe public space should be able to be recorded, but on the other hand this is pretty obnoxious behavior and pretty threatening in context. There are laws that cover this kind of stuff that are unrelated to filming, so police definitely could do something here. We see it as a video on the internet and know the intent but in the moment, it's some guy filming you and…
As a photographer myself, how do you think street photography happens? Sometimes the mundane stuff is unstaged, and when I was shooting it, you end up throwing a lot of stuff away anyway. In North America, you have no right to privacy in a public space. I understand why people are antsy about being photographed / recorded in public, but they direct that anger at the person doing it instead of the laws that allow it.…
Did you watch the videos linked elsewhere in this thread? He's acting pretty insidious, it's not just street photography. Even just someone following you around like they are, with no camera, would be uncomfortable/threating to some. He follows one family back to their car.
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
It puts me in a tough spot, because on one hand I believe public space should be able to be recorded, but on the other hand this is pretty obnoxious behavior and pretty threatening in context. There are laws that cover this kind of stuff that are unrelated to filming, so police definitely could do something here. We see it as a video on the internet and know the intent but in the moment, it's some guy filming you and…
As a photographer myself, how do you think street photography happens? Sometimes the mundane stuff is unstaged, and when I was shooting it, you end up throwing a lot of stuff away anyway. In North America, you have no right to privacy in a public space. I understand why people are antsy about being photographed / recorded in public, but they direct that anger at the person doing it instead of the laws that allow it.…
> but they direct that anger at the person doing it instead of the laws that allow it.
The law that allows filming in public spaces clearly was not meant to allow this kind of creepy behaviour. People are rightfully directing their anger at the person abusing the law, rather than the law itself.
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#46He has a new channel, ”Vagrant Holiday”. Highly recommend. https://youtube.com/c/VagrantHoliday
"Riot Holiday" that was insane. As somebody commented, this guy would be the ironic commentator to the end of the world...
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#47I was able to find #6 on Vimeo. I'm entirely unfamiliar with this content. https://vimeo.com/98862974
You can still find all 8 episodes searching vk.com
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#48It is fascinating even reading these comments, people falling over themselves trying to define a difference between 'some guy' recording them, and cctv (which is effectively 'some guy' recording them). It kind of reminds me of a nature program i watched some time ago, where they 'concealed' the cameras in plain sight by strapping them onto trees to get footage. Its important to remind ourselves that we are simple ani…
It’s pretty simple. The state passively monitoring everyone is a blanket society scale phenomena. One dude following you around with a camera is a targeted 1:1 social confrontation.
The difference is so vast it baffles me that anyone would consider them interchangeable.
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#49It is fascinating even reading these comments, people falling over themselves trying to define a difference between 'some guy' recording them, and cctv (which is effectively 'some guy' recording them). It kind of reminds me of a nature program i watched some time ago, where they 'concealed' the cameras in plain sight by strapping them onto trees to get footage. Its important to remind ourselves that we are simple ani…
It’s pretty simple. The state passively monitoring everyone is a blanket society scale phenomena. One dude following you around with a camera is a targeted 1:1 social confrontation. The difference is so vast it baffles me that anyone would consider them interchangeable.
The state monitors you actively not just passively:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_surveillance_in_the_Unite...
Re: Ask HN: What happened to surveillance camera guy?
#50It is fascinating even reading these comments, people falling over themselves trying to define a difference between 'some guy' recording them, and cctv (which is effectively 'some guy' recording them). It kind of reminds me of a nature program i watched some time ago, where they 'concealed' the cameras in plain sight by strapping them onto trees to get footage. Its important to remind ourselves that we are simple ani…
It’s pretty simple. The state passively monitoring everyone is a blanket society scale phenomena. One dude following you around with a camera is a targeted 1:1 social confrontation. The difference is so vast it baffles me that anyone would consider them interchangeable.
Any amount of fear for someone following you that you can see, should be more for someone following you that you can't see. The fact that its inverse is a weakness of our psychology.