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At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

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Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#21

Post by pavel_lishin »

kvb wrote: post #9
ignostic wrote: post #2

We should never have had any expectation of privacy in public places. I think what scares most people is that they're going to end up on the internet for some reason. Perhaps this shows how self-obsessed we are: to think that anyone is going to care about us walking down the street minding our own business. Maybe it's the uncertainty that makes people uneasy. I can walk down the street recording everyone with my smar…

I don't think it's just that. I don't have any fear that any individual will film me, since this probably happens frequently anyway (how many strangers have me in the background of their pictures somewhere?). Nonetheless, the idea that there will eventually be cameras everywhere putting videos online, combined with technologies such as location-tagging and ever-better face recognition, means that in the not-too-dista…

Not only will someone be able to retroactively stalk you, they'll be able to cut together their own version of reality. Imagine someone having every snapshot of you while you're having a bad day - scowling at a slow elderly person ahead of you on the stairs, flipping someone off while driving, a really bad photo of you with a bunch of drinks around you. Nevermind that you were trying to hurry to get up the stairs to help your pregnant wife, or that someone threw a brick at your car, or that you're just watching your friends' drinks while they play pool.

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#22

Post by seren »

kvb wrote: post #9
ignostic wrote: post #2

We should never have had any expectation of privacy in public places. I think what scares most people is that they're going to end up on the internet for some reason. Perhaps this shows how self-obsessed we are: to think that anyone is going to care about us walking down the street minding our own business. Maybe it's the uncertainty that makes people uneasy. I can walk down the street recording everyone with my smar…

I don't think it's just that. I don't have any fear that any individual will film me, since this probably happens frequently anyway (how many strangers have me in the background of their pictures somewhere?). Nonetheless, the idea that there will eventually be cameras everywhere putting videos online, combined with technologies such as location-tagging and ever-better face recognition, means that in the not-too-dista…

"We informed you that under the new Citizen Bill of July,2040 we have revoked your right to vote, and travel without permit because you have been identified as a participant of the antisocial demonstrations of May, 2018."

I know this sounds paranoid, but given past behaviour of totalitarian government, I don't see why any future techno-totalitarian society would not use that kind of tools. And my example is rather mild, it could be something much more sinister that travel restrictions... This is one the reason I find the "Right to be Forgotten" a sane idea.

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#23

Post by freehunter »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #17
Nrsolis wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't take a genius to see how cameras in a bathroom could be abused. I wouldn't expect every person who potentially faces Internet-scale humiliation that might come from the prospect of their private parts ending up on someone's FB page to simply shrug it off. I'm counting the days till some Glass-wearing hipster gets his head shoved in a toilet for crap like this. When it happens, I expect THAT will be filmed…

I agree with you on this point: there will be misunderstandings, and there will be violence. Almost certainly someone is going to end up in an emergency room, where a doctor will be picking bits of Google Glass out of their head with tweezers. I was just pointing out that this is not a good thing , and freehunter should not be proudly exclaiming how he's going to punch someone in the face.

When did I say I was proud of it? Of course I wouldn't be proud to hit someone. But I'd be even less proud to let someone get away with sexual harassment. I can't believe we're even getting into a discussion about how you shouldn't be allowed to defend yourself against sexual harassment.

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#25

Post by potatolicious »

freehunter wrote: post #18
pavel_lishin wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rules of the society I live in certainly don't include sudden violence at anyone who's checking out my junk. I might be upset or angry, and I'd probably let them know it, but I'm not getting into a bathroom brawl over it.

Really? If someone was indiscreetly peering over your shoulder to check out your package, you would let them know that it made you upset? Excuse me good sir, I do believe you are offending me? Where I come from, that's more than an indiscretion. We're not talking about a locker room.

So... "where you come from" what is the bar at which felony assault is justified?

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#26

Post by paganel »

mtgx wrote: post #3

I assume people think this is a problem because they are afraid someone will film them "down there". But you have to actually look down there to do that with Glass, and last I checked that was already frowned upon, and it's something people know they shouldn't do. So why would Glass make this situation much worse?

The problem is I generally don't check if other people are looking at me when I'm using a urinal (and by "generally" I mean "never"), so that I would have a very hard time figuring out if the person closest isn't in fact just photographing my "down there" just from a blink of an eye.

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#27

Post by lotharbot »

ignostic wrote: post #2

We should never have had any expectation of privacy in public places. I think what scares most people is that they're going to end up on the internet for some reason. Perhaps this shows how self-obsessed we are: to think that anyone is going to care about us walking down the street minding our own business. Maybe it's the uncertainty that makes people uneasy. I can walk down the street recording everyone with my smar…

> "to think that anyone is going to care about us walking down the street minding our own business"

If your worst fear is having your photo show up on one of those "poorly dressed and out of shape" websites, this is easy to brush off.

If you're an attractive woman (or girl) walking down the street minding your own business, there is already a real possibility to end up on some sort of voyeur/jailbait website and become a target of sexualized comments. It is completely reasonable to be concerned about sexual predators having an even easier time taking those photos.

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#28

Post by probably_wrong »

ignostic wrote: post #2

We should never have had any expectation of privacy in public places. I think what scares most people is that they're going to end up on the internet for some reason. Perhaps this shows how self-obsessed we are: to think that anyone is going to care about us walking down the street minding our own business. Maybe it's the uncertainty that makes people uneasy. I can walk down the street recording everyone with my smar…

> We should never have had any expectation of privacy in public places.

I don't think I agree with this point. I know most countries have some kind of laws saying more or less this, but I think there is an implicit agreement regarding how much of what I do every day is public or not, and the lack of security cameras in bathrooms is a reflection of this.

I might be wrong, but I think that if we were to write privacy laws today, knowing that we (almost) have the technology to monitor everyone everywhere, we wouldn't write something as simple-minded as "you don't have any right to privacy in public places at all" - I think we would probably throw a "reasonable right to privacy" in there somehow.

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#29

Post by zaptheimpaler »

ignostic wrote: post #2

We should never have had any expectation of privacy in public places. I think what scares most people is that they're going to end up on the internet for some reason. Perhaps this shows how self-obsessed we are: to think that anyone is going to care about us walking down the street minding our own business. Maybe it's the uncertainty that makes people uneasy. I can walk down the street recording everyone with my smar…

>We should never have had any expectation of privacy in public places.

Privacy, no. But we expect some stupid thing we do in public to have a localized, temporary effect. Maybe you get a few dirty looks, maybe some people laugh at you, thats it. But once its on the internet its there 1. forever 2. easily discoverable by people you know.

That's pretty scary to me. I can walk home drunk and silly and a few people in college might find out. With glass, everyone on my facebook, including employers/co-workers find out and see a video of it.

On the flip side, it would be liberating to see this happen on such a large scale that we come to accept these things and give people a break for having a bad day or doing something silly in public.

Re: At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom

#30

Post by arrrg »

freehunter wrote: post #18
pavel_lishin wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rules of the society I live in certainly don't include sudden violence at anyone who's checking out my junk. I might be upset or angry, and I'd probably let them know it, but I'm not getting into a bathroom brawl over it.

Really? If someone was indiscreetly peering over your shoulder to check out your package, you would let them know that it made you upset? Excuse me good sir, I do believe you are offending me? Where I come from, that's more than an indiscretion. We're not talking about a locker room.

Violence without immediate danger is never morally ok. It is vile and barbaric.
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