 It is hard to believe that it has been only a week since the CEO and chief people officer of the data company, Astronomer, were exposed by a “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert. In retrospect, the couple might have evaded public scrutiny if they had not panicked and jumped apart once they realized that they were on camera. “Wow, what?” said band frontman Chris Martin in real time. “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy. I’m not quite sure what to do.” Astronomer’s board knew what to do. Within the span of a few days, the CEO resigned. The reaction of the internet was instinctive, a matter of keyboard muscle memory. Within a few hours of the event, the image of two people in blissful embrace prompted a thousand meme-jokes showing odd-fellow global politicians and celebrities resting against each other. As the Coldplay image settles into the geologic layers of the internet, the meme may live on alongside the ever-elastic Distracted Boyfriend and Woman Yelling at Cat memes. The sober realization that we’re always under surveillance and that you’re only one bad act from becoming a global meme is also settling in. Wyatte Grantham-Philips of Associated Press sums up this state of affairs: “From CCTV security systems to Ring doorbells, businesses, schools and neighborhoods use ample video surveillance around the clock. Sporting and concert venues have also filmed fans for years, often projecting playful bits of audience participation to the rest of the crowd. In short, the on-scene viewer becomes part of the product – and the center of attention. “And of course, consumers can record just about anything if they have a smartphone in their pocket – and, if it's enticing to other social media users, that footage can quickly spread through cyberspace ... “‘I'm not sure that we can assume privacy at a concert with hundreds of other people,’ adds Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. ‘We can't assume privacy on the street anymore …’ “‘It's not just the camera,’ Bock says. ‘It's the distribution system that is wild and new.’” This distribution system includes free image locators, AI-driven facial recognition systems that can quickly match your facial features to your LinkedIn Page or other images that you publicly posted. Tyrannical governments use such systems to locate dissidents and drug cartels use them to locate and kill informants. Surveillance is only going to become more pervasive now that Ring is reversing reforms it made in 2024. The company had earlier pulled its “Request for Assistance” feature that made it easy for police to request and obtain footage from Ring camera owners.
The kiss-cam on the jumbotron is a matter of chance. If you don’t want to be recorded, you are still better off lurking among the crowd in a concert than walking down your street. Professor Bock is correct – we live in a world that is wild and new. Comments are closed.
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