Between Surveillance and Street Photography

The rise of smartphone cameras and social media has increased the reach of the average person and the information they share online. While considerable attention has been paid to people who share their own information, less has been said about what it means from an ethical perspective to share information about others. Drawing connections back to the longstanding tradition of street photography and attendant ethical concerns, this paper considers the ethics of sharing visual representations of strangers online. This phenomenon is examined through three case studies featuring individuals who went viral online without their knowledge or consent. It ultimately concludes that the decision to share personal information related to other people and thereby risk exposing the subject of the photo or video to unwilling virality is, at best, ethically fraught. Street photographers, including amateur ones, are encouraged to reflect on the possibility that their decision to capture and share moments in others’ lives could have a far-reaching negative impact which they can neither anticipate nor control.