A Brooklyn-based artist has caught the attention of the Secret Service after installing software on Apple Store computers that takes Webcam photos every two minutes, and posting those images on the Internet.
The "@secretservice just stopped by to investigate ... and took my laptop. please assume they're reading any emails you send me," Kyle McDonald tweeted on Thursday.
McDonald took the photos and posted them on a Tumblr blog called "People Staring at Computers." He told Mashable that he got permission from Apple security guards to take photos in the store, but it's unclear if they were aware that McDonald also meant installing software and snapping Webcam shots. Given that it attracted Secret Service attention, it's safe to say that not everyone was excited by the project.
When asked on Twitter if he got permission from every person whose photo appeared on his blog, McDonald said no because "as i understand, photography in open spaces is legal unless explicitly prohibited." He will, however, remove any photos if asked, he said.
It appears McDonald was committed, however; Apple wipes its computers every night, so he had to reinstall the program every day he took photos, Mashable reports. That program focused only on photos; "keylogging public machines would make me uncomfortable," he tweeted.
McDonald said the warrant he received from the Secret Service said his actions violated 18 USC section 1030. That deals with "fraud and related activity in connection with computers," and covers, among other things, accessing a computer without authorization.
McDonald said he contacted the Electronic Frontier Foundation for help with the case, and "they've encouraged me to stay quiet for now," he tweeted.
In a video (below) describing the project, McDonald said he was "thinking about how we stare at computers" and thought, "maybe if we could see what our computer sees we would stare differently?" As a result, he took 1,000 photos over three days at computers in New York Apple Stores. The video shows McDonald at the 14th Street store for what he called a "public exhibition." As shoppers are perusing Macs, the screen flashes and takes a photo; sometimes it displays photos of other people. Most shoppers look confused and try to get their images off the screen. "Most people just hit 'escape,'" when their photos popped up, the video said.
McDonald's fascination with faces continues. He just released a face-tracking app, FaceOSC.
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