New app slammed for allowing users to 'creepily spy' on nightclubs using 'hidden cameras'
Topics: US News, Social Media, Alcohol
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: 2night/Instagram/Getty Stock Image
Topics: US News, Social Media, Alcohol
A new app has caused controversy with ‘hidden cameras’ after people in nightclubs have claimed they feel like ‘Big Brother’ is watching them.
Despite having pure intentions, the creators of 2Night, an app where you can see the ‘vibe’ of a nightclub before going, have caused quite the stir online.
The purpose of the app was for people to use cameras to watch partiers at trendy nightclubs and bars across San Francisco, to decide whether they wanted to go.
But it has had a totally opposite reaction.
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The app streamed live action from a selection of clubs, but failed to alert party-goers that they were being recorded.
People were quick to lash out after finding they had been part of the livestream without their consent.
Some bars in San Francisco, seeing the potential privacy concerns, refusing the use of the app on their premises.
The creators modelled their business idea Surfline, a successful app that allows surfers to check out the quality of waves at different beaches.
Lucas Harris, co-creator of the app, predicted that demand would be high as he branded San Francisco’s nightlife scene as ‘difficult to navigate’.
He told the Daily Mail: “It was blatant to me that everyone was wanting a solution like this - to get the vibe that they are after.”
To his surprise, however, the app went down as well as a lead balloon.
One woman in her thirties told the Standard that there was no need for an app like Harris’, and that it would discourage people from enjoying themselves properly.
She said: “You should be able to let loose in a bar where Big Brother isn't watching you.
“Just go to a f***ing bar... if it's not cool, you go to another bar.”
Defending his creation, Harris said: “I continue to believe that you don't go to a bar or club for privacy.
“You are surrounded by strangers.”
According to him, it is within the control of the bars as to when the cameras are switched on.
However, since the wave of online hate, he and his co-founder Francesco Bini, have taken the decision to blur the faces of individuals and the live streams are not saved.