vision2020
Re: webcam
Perhaps I came on a little too strong for humor's sake, but I do believe
there is a larger issue here and one that should be discussed. Ture, it's
okay to tote a camera around in public and one can assume if you stand in
front of the lens, snap you're caught. But that's an explicit agreement. Bank
cams etc... are set up in "private areas" where I have no reasonable belief
of protection. A camera set up in a public place in order to broadcast
general traffic to some web page is not explicit to those casually walking
by, unless the moscam is marked. So it's done, or at least it used to be
done, in secret to a public forum.
And, just because I'm aware that this sort of recording goes on all the time,
doesn't mean I should have to kowtow to the prevailing whimsy. I would,
personally, find it offensive to learn after the fact that while standing on
the street corner, say at 3 a.m. and say I was pretty sure I was not being
watched and say I was soliciting some sort of product or service, there were
100 or so creeps watching me over the Internet.
Heck, maybe Dan Weaver (a nice guy, not a creep, by the way) is watching.
And, let's not forget, if I recall correctly, the thing about computers is
they have this thing called empty space that demands be filled, so the cpu
makes a copy of all that passes over it's bottom lip. All the somebody's
watching me have instantly made a copy of that view, and so has Ry's ISP and
so have all the ISPs from all the outsiders who are digitially communicating
to that ISP so they can watch the web cam.
This is all to say, it's nice to watch Moscow in realtime, but it's not
always so nice to be watched by Moscovites and the rest of the citizens of
the world in realtime.
And please, Ry or anyone else, this — as well as my previsous post — was not
meant to offend in any way. Rather, since you found it appropriate to post
the webcam address, I felt it appropriate to discuss the ramifications. This
is facinating stuff.
cheers, greg burton
M H wrote:
> Ry, glad to see you are having fun with your camera! I've been eying a
> webcam & so its fun to see one local in use. My only negative comment is
> that your penguin is kinda scary-looking man! <tease>
>
> Greg... if you choose pick your nose on a public street, I think you are
> fair game. Acamera view of a public street is not any more intrusive than
> someone sitting against a building watching people go by. Ever
> "people-watched" at the fair or in the mall? This is no different....
>
> Peeping Toms or Terris invade places we consider PRIVATE... such as our
> home, a restroom stall, etc. Not only is taking pictures in public
> perfectly legal, I really don't see any moral issues here....
>
> -Meg
>
> From: "Ry Jones" <rjones@airgap.net>
> To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2000 12:59 PM
> Subject: Completely unrelated to anything important.
>
> > I set up a webcam at http://moscam.airgap.net/ , it updates every ten
> > minutes, take a look. Or don't.
> > --
> > Ry Jones
> > Airgap Networks / Moscow, ID
> > 208 882 2367 (office) 419 730 2199 (fax)
> >
> >
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