I am standing on the corner of Harris Road and Young Street outside of the Crossroads Business Park in Bakersfield, California, looking up at a Flock surveillance camera bolted high above a traffic signal. On my phone, I am watching myself in real time as the camera records and livestreams me—without any password or login—to the open internet. I wander into the intersection, stare at the camera and wave. On the livestream, I can see myself clearly. Hundreds of miles away, my colleagues are remotely watching me too through the exposed feed.
Flock left livestreams and administrator control panels for at least 60 of its AI-enabled Condor cameras around the country exposed to the open internet, where anyone could watch them, download 30 days worth of video archive, and change settings, see log files, and run diagnostics.
Archive: http://archive.today/IWMKe
I’m pretty sure that the “non entitled to privacy” part was not about getting organisationally stalked, but that if someone were to randomly take a picture outside and post it somewhere, then you don’t get to make them take down photos.
Also, if you are creating a scene in public, other get to film you as they get to see you.
This is not a problem about privacy in public. This is a problem of: