
Can you ever expect privacy in public? Coldplay kiss camera saga tells us a lot about the answer
In hours, the clip was just about everywhere. Endless memes, parody videos and photos of the pair's shocked faces filled social media feeds.
Online sleuths
rushed to identify who was on camera. Artificial intelligence and software company Astronomer eventually confirmed that its CEO and chief people officer were in fact the couple in the video — and announced the CEO's
resignation over the weekend
.
The incident's fallout has, of course, generated conversations about business ethics, corporate accountability and the repercussions that conflicts of interest among leadership can cause. But there are also broader implications at play in our increasingly online world — about the state of potentially being visible everywhere you go or tracked through 'social media surveillance.' Experts say it's more and more common for moments that may have been intended to be private, or at least reserved to a single physical venue, to make their way online and even go global today.
So in the era of lightning-fast social sharing and when cameras are practically inescapable, does being in public hold any expectation of privacy anymore? Is every experience simply fodder for the world to see?
Cameras are everywhere
It's no secret that cameras are filming much of our lives these days.
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.
Ellis Cashmore, author of the book 'Celebrity Culture,' proposes that the rapid fame of last week's KissCam moment probably answers a question many have been asking for years: 'Is the private life still what it was? And the answer is, of course, there's no such thing as the private life anymore,' he notes. 'Certainly not in the traditional sense of the term.'
'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.'
Some version of the KissCam has long been a staple at big events — from timeouts during sports games to romantic songs played by artists at their concerts. It's easy to miss, but most venues have signs to inform the audience that they could be filmed during the event. What's been different in more recent years, experts note, is how quickly those moments can travel beyond the physical space where they actually unfold.
That isn't only limited to what shows up on a jumbotron. Sometimes it only takes one person in the crowd to capture any interaction on their phone and post the video online — where it can zip around the world.
'It's not just the camera,' Bock says. 'It's the distribution system that is wild and new.'
Once something's viral, doxing often follows
Then there's the second ring of exposure — what happens after the video or photos spread.
Experts point to growing instances of social media users rushing to publicly identify, or dox, the people captured on camera — much like how quickly the internet committed to finding those involved in the Coldplay moment, for example. The LinkedIn pages belonging both to Astronomer's now-former CEO and chief people officer remained disabled on Monday, and The Associated Press could not reach either for comment.
But it isn't limited to company executives. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances — including AI — have made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in an online post. This can happen with videos and photos shared on social media each day, even if it doesn't go viral, experts warn.
'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,' Bock says. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.'
And of course, such moments can also impact people who were not actually on camera. As easy as it can be to be identified online today, the internet is notorious for cutting a broad swath or not always getting it right. That sometimes produces harassment of individuals not actually involved.
At last week's Coldplay concert, for example, many social media users speculated that a third person seen near the two caught on camera was another Astronomer employee — leading to swarms of posts targeting her. But the company later confirmed that she was not at the event and said no other employees were in the video circulating online.
For the now-viral moment, 'we can talk about what's right and wrong, and whether they deserved it,' says Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. Still, it's a 'very frightening thing to get a lot of abuse and harassment online,' Taylor notes. 'There are real human beings behind this.'
It's hard to think that that these kind of viral moments will ever go away — and there are few legal restrictions to stop users from sharing clips of interactions recorded from anything from a concert to the street widely online. But on an individual level, Bock says it can be helpful to 'think before you share' and question whether something's really accurate.
'Social media has changed so much,' Bock says. 'But we really have not, as a society, caught up with the technology in terms of our ethics and our etiquette.'
___
Associated Press journalists Hilary Fox and Kelvin Chan contributed to this report.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
From Justin Timberlake's lackluster performance to Coldplay's 'kiss cam' scandal, concerts are making headlines this summer — but not for the music
Timberlake fans waited in the rain — and then accused the singer of giving a "soulless" performance. Each year, millions of people purchase tickets to see their favorite artists live in concert — and that number is only growing. And while Taylor Swift may not currently be performing, following the end of her nearly two-year Eras Tour, other stars, such as Beyoncé and Coldplay, are filling in the gap, attracting massive crowds and making headlines. But several recent concerts have made waves this summer for reasons unrelated to the music. In fact, some of the biggest pop culture moments of the season so far have taken place at concerts, from a major 'kiss cam' scandal to a pop star who doesn't appear to be singing much. Justin Timberlake gets called out for not singing Justin Timberlake has been known for his vocal range since his NSync days, which is why many fans were surprised to find that, during his recent world tour, he didn't seem to be singing all that much. Multiple videos posted on social media this month from different shows across the tour show the 'SexyBack' artist singing a few bars before holding out the mic for the audience to take the rest of a verse. During a July 17 performance at Transylvania's Electric Castle festival, fans who waited in the rain for JT later accused him of giving a middling performance. In an Instagram post, Timberlake thanked fans for attending the 'wild show' and 'rockin' with me in the rain,' but many fans expressed their disappointment in the comments. 'Not THAT wild of a show … and I'm a huge fan,' one wrote. 'The delay I got, I accepted it, but the part with you not singing even your most famous verses.. nope, I did not. Us in the crowd wanted to hear you sing the songs we played at home over and over again and danced on so many times, but unfortunately you did not deliver this time.' Another commenter wrote that they bought tickets to the festival just for Timberlake and 'waited patiently' for the show to start even after a 'big delay.' However, they wrote, 'something happened.' 'You did not click with the crowd, the show felt soulless and bored, ended abruptly and earlier,' the commenter continued. 'It was disrespectful towards the many thousands of people waiting for you. Too bad, could have been a nice evening.' Still, others defended Timberlake, arguing that it seemed clear — at least at the Electric Castle festival performance — that the Social Network actor was under the weather. Katy Perry almost falls out of the air midsong Katy Perry's Lifetimes Tour has been endlessly memed on social media, with fans both delighted and baffled by the futuristic-themed spectacle. Some have called it 'messy, while others have found the show emblematic of the campy charm Perry is known for. But Perry's performance of 'Roar' during her July 18 concert in San Francisco inspired genuine fear from the audience when the mechanical butterfly she was hanging on to dropped unexpectedly. Perry handled the situation like a pro (and fortunately she held tight to the butterfly!), but the reactions made clear that aerial stunts are not for the faint of heart — whether you're a performer or just below one in the audience. Coldplay sparks a 'kiss cam' scandal During Coldplay's July 16 show at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, the band's frontman, Chris Martin, had some fun with the crowd while performing 'The Jumbotron Song.' When a couple showed up on the "kiss cam" and then ducked out of view immediately, Martin joked that they were either 'having an affair' or 'just very shy.' Turns out, Martin was correct. The internet did its thing and quickly discovered the identities of the people at the concert, the CEO of tech firm Astronomer, Andy Byron, and his chief people officer, Kristin Cabot. Both are married to other people. The awkward moment sparked endless memes as well as conversations about privacy in today's digital age. Beyoncé is left hanging after a concert malfunction Perry isn't the only pop star who was left dangling onstage due to a faulty prop. Beyoncé's July 28 concert in her hometown of Houston ended abruptly after the flying car prop she was seated in while singing '16 Carriages' malfunctioned, leaving her suspended and tilted in midair. After stopping the song, Beyoncé was eventually lowered and able to get out of the car safely. She even returned to finish performing the hit track from her Cowboy Carter album after a brief pause backstage. Solve the daily Crossword


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Tron: Ares' is set to storm Comic-Con and more of what to expect on Day 2
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) — Comic-Con is about to reenter the Grid. Disney will unveil details about 'Tron: Ares,' which stars Jared Leto, Jeff Bridges and Greta Lee at an evening presentation in Comic-Con's famed Hall H. It will be the third feature film in the 'Tron' franchise that kicked off with the hit 1982 film and had a 2010 sequel, 'Tron: Legacy.' The original starred Bridges as a computer hacker who gets trapped in a digital world. The other major presentations planned for Friday include updates on the final season of 'Outlander' and its prequel series 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood,' 'Alien: Earth' and 'Predator: Badlands.' An estimated 135,000 people from around the globe are expected to attend Comic-Con 2025, which runs through Sunday in downtown San Diego.


San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Singer Cleo Laine, regarded as Britain's greatest jazz voice, dies at 97
LONDON (AP) — Cleo Laine, whose husky contralto was one of the most distinctive voices in jazz and who was regarded by many as Britain's greatest contribution to the quintessentially American music, has died. She was 97. The Stables, a charity and venue Laine founded with her late jazz musician husband John Dankworth, said Friday it was 'greatly saddened' by the news that 'one of its founders and Life President, Dame Cleo Laine has passed away." Monica Ferguson, artistic director of The Stables, said Laine "will be greatly missed, but her unique talent will always be remembered.' Laine's career spanned the Atlantic and crossed genres: She sang the songs of Kurt Weill, Arnold Schoenberg and Robert Schumann; she acted on stage and on film, and even played God in a production of Benjamin Britten's "Noye's Fludde." Laine's life and art were intimately bound up with band leader Dankworth, who gave her a job and her stage name in 1951, and married her seven years later. Both were still performing after their 80th birthdays. Dankworth died in 2010 at 82. In 1997, Laine became the first British jazz artist to be made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight. "It is British jazz that should have received the accolade for its service to me," she said when the honor was announced. "It has given me a wonderful life, a successful career and an opportunity to travel the globe doing what I love to do." Laine was born Clementina Dinah Campbell in 1927. Her father, Alexander Campbell, was a Jamaican who loved opera and earned money during the Depression as a street singer. Despite hard times, her British mother, Minnie, made sure that her daughter had piano, voice and dance lessons. She began performing at local events at age 3, and at age 12 she got a role as a movie extra in "The Thief of Bagdad." Leaving school at 14, Laine went to work as a hairdresser and faced repeated rejection in her efforts to get a job as a singer. A decade later, in 1951, she tried out for the Johnny Dankworth Seven, and succeeded. "Clementina Campbell" was judged too long for a marquee, so she became Cleo Laine. "John said that when he heard me, I didn't sound like anyone else who was singing at the time," Laine once said. "I guess the reason I didn't get the other jobs is that they were looking for a singer who did sound like somebody else." Laine had a remarkable range, from tenor to contralto, and a sound often described as "smoky." Dankworth, in an interview with the Irish Independent, recalled Laine's audition. "They were all sitting there with stony faces, so I asked the Scottish trumpet player Jimmy Deuchar, who was looking very glum and was the hardest nut of all, whether he thought she had something. 'Something?' he said, 'She's got everything!'" Offered 6 pounds a week, Laine demanded — and got — 7 pounds. "They used to call me 'Scruff', although I don't think I was scruffy. It was just that having come from the sticks, I didn't know how to put things together as well as the other singers of the day," she told the Irish Independent. "And anyway, I didn't have the money, because they weren't paying me enough." Recognition came swiftly. Laine was runner-up in Melody Maker's "girl singer" category in 1952, and topped the list in 1956 and 1957. She married Dankworth — and quit his band — in 1958, a year after her divorce from her first husband, George Langridge. As Dankworth's band prospered, Laine began to feel underused. "I thought, no, I'm not going to just sit on the band and be a singer of songs every now and again when he fancied it. So it was then that I decided I wasn't going to stay with the band and I was going to go off and try to do something solo-wise," she said in a BBC documentary. "When I said I was leaving, he said, 'Will you marry me?' That was a good ploy, wasn't it, huh?" They were married on March 18, 1958. A son, Alec, was born in 1960, and daughter Jacqueline followed in 1963. Despite her happy marriage, Laine forged a career independent of Dankworth. "Whenever anybody starts putting a label on me, I say, 'Oh, no you don't,' and I go and do something different," Laine told The Associated Press in 1985 when she was appearing on stage in New York in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." Her stage career began in 1958 when she was invited to join the cast of a West Indian play, "Flesh to a Tiger," at the Royal Court Theatre, and was surprised to find herself in the lead role. She won a Moscow Arts Theatre Award for her performance. "Valmouth" followed in 1959, "The Seven Deadly Sins" in 1961, "The Trojan Women" in 1966 and "Hedda Gabler" in 1970. The role of Julie in Jerome Kern's "Show Boat" in 1971 provided Laine with a show-stopping song, "Bill." Laine began winning a following in the United States in 1972 with a concert at the Alice Tully Hall in New York. It wasn't well-attended, but The New York Times gave her a glowing review. The following year, she and Dankworth drew a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall, launching a series of popular appearances. "Cleo at Carnegie" won a Grammy award in 1986, the same year she was a Tony nominee for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." A reviewer for Variety in 2002 found her voice going strong: "a dark, creamy voice, remarkable range and control from bottomless contralto to a sweet clear soprano. Her perfect pitch and phrasing is always framed with musical imagination and good taste." Perhaps Laine's most difficult performance of all was on Feb. 6, 2010, at a concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of the concert venue she and Dankworth had founded at their home, during which Laine and both of her children performed. "I'm terribly sorry that Sir John can't be here today," Laine told the crowd at the end of the show. 'But earlier on my husband died in hospital.' Laine is survived by her son and daughter.