Coldplay camera saga: Can you expect privacy in public spaces?

When the “KissCam” at a Coldplay concert landed on a couple who tried (but failed) to duck out of the spotlight, the internet immediately got to work.

- Associated Press

In hours, the clip was just about everywhere. Endless memes, parody videos and photos of the pair's shocked faces filled social media feeds. 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.”

So in the era of lightning-fast social sharing and when cameras are inescapable, does being in public hold any expectation of privacy anymore?

From CCTV security systems to Ring doorbells, businesses, schools and neighbourhoods use 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.