Ken Goldberg - how this conference came about: the original events

Surveillance vs. coveillance

Coveillance, increasing access to images (and technologies) of surveillance.. Democratization of access to satellite tech

(Tele-actor project, the image on the screen – was so gendered and sexualized, was that what it was about?)

Post-9/11 technology acceleration? (or availability acceleration)

Development of robotic camera. Increasing resolution, robotic control

For example:

- 3m CCTV cameras deployed in UK

- Google Maps

- Democratization of satellites

- Cellphone cameras (in contrast to _1984_)

- Ever-decreasting costs, eg was $20,000 for a 6mp video camera; now a robotic Panasonic camera 500mp with pan, tile, and zoom, 21x-500x far greater resolution, you can get on eBay for about $500, the size of a bowling ball with built-in Web server. Next generation camera will be 2x-5x the resolution and have night vision - Moore's Law is operating on cameras now.

KG and IChien and others started the Demonstrate Project for the Whitney Museum website. On the 40th anniversary of the free speech movement, 2004, put camera as described above on top of the MLK building.

Have been webcams on Sproul since 1990. But the zoom level made a difference – very powerful and clear, and controllable remotely from website. Could see pretty well at night - the camera was online 24/7, and anyone could come in register, and work the controls. Efforts were made to publicize the camera's existence - not hidden. Commentary on images not always complimentary. (Who could watch?)

A week after the project started, KGoldberg called to chancellor’s office. Legal team, other folks concerned about legal issues. The essential question: was this legal in California?

As a compromise, ultimately reduced the zoom capability. (storage of images?)

Committee (DM drafted two legal students) formed to deal with the many issues.

- Who is responsible for camera policy?

- What should be covered?

- Distinctions between private and public access

- Artwork: should not have to go to human subjects

- Consequences of dummy cameras

- What are expectations of privacy in public spaces?

- How to ensure adequate notifications of camera presence?

Next-generation cellphone cameras will have higher and higher resolution - if you snap a photo of a friend you will have high-res images of anyone in the background.

The entire Demonstrate project's archive is at demonstrate.berkeley.edu.

The question of legality – Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects exists (for researchers, but how about for artists?)

(The question of ethics and consent is still unaddressed. Was the art project about ethics and consent?)

Developing a campus policy on imaging

1. security

2. research on humans

3. other including journalism art PR, etc

Came up with a new Policy, a camera registry

ctrlspace book about these issues: _The Governance of Privacy_, Bennett and Raab.