So, knowing that everyone has cameras on them at all times, how much privacy can someone reasonably expect when they’re out in public?
Hartzog: Generally speaking, it shouldn’t be irrational to rely upon some notion of obscurity in public places. [That being said], there’s an intermediate state that most of us spend every single day of our lives in. That’s the state between being completely secluded and being exposed to everyone for all purposes. There’s an implicit risk calculus that we make every time we walk outside. [For example], when you take the trash out in your pajamas, you probably aren’t presuming that the Google Maps car might be driving by right at that moment and put you on the internet for everyone to see, right?
When you combine the ubiquity of everyone having a camera in their pocket with the now-ubiquity of facial-recognition services, not only are we likely to be captured everywhere we go, but we’re likely to be recognized. I think that is an atypical situation where we’ve snuffed out any possibility for obscure, intimate interaction, even in public spaces.
Read full article at BU Today
- Date Published:7.9.2025
- Original Publication: BU Today