Google Glass moviegoer interrogated by FBI at theatre

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Doc
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Google Glass moviegoer interrogated by FBI at theatre

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http://www.torontosun.com/2014/01/22/go ... at-theatre
Google Glass moviegoer interrogated by FBI at theatre
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Todd Cunningham, TheWrap.com

First posted: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 05:09 PM EST | Updated: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 05:19 PM EST
google glass (QMI Agency files)

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LOS ANGELES – A moviegoer wearing Google Glass was removed from an AMC Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, and questioned for an hour by federal authorities before being released after they determined he wasn’t recording “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.”

The incident came to light when the man, writing anonymously on The Gadgeteer, told of being targeted on Saturday night with his wife:

“About an hour into the movie, a guy comes near my seat, shoves a badge that had some sort of a shield on it, yanks the Google Glass off my face and says ‘Follow me outside immediately.’ It was quite embarrassing and outside of the theatre there were about 5-10 cops and mall cops.”

AMC responded on Tuesday, in a statement to TheWrap.

“Movie theft is something we take very seriously, and our theatre managers contact the Motion Picture Association of America anytime it’s suspected that someone may be illegally recording content on screen,” a spokesman for the theatre chain said.

“While we’re huge fans of technology and innovation, wearing a device that has the capability to record video is not appropriate at the movie theatre. At AMC Easton 30 last weekend, a guest was questioned for possible movie theft after he was identified wearing a recording device during a film.

“The presence of this recording device prompted an investigation by the MPAA, which was on site. The MPAA then contacted Homeland Security, which oversees movie theft. The investigation determined the guest was not recording content.“

The interrogation went on for more than an hour, said the patron.

“I was searched and more stuff was taken away from me (specifically my personal phone, my work phone - both of which were turned off, and my wallet). After an embarrassing 20-30 minutes outside the movie theatre, me and my wife were conducted into two separate rooms in the ‘management’ office of Easton Mall, where the guy with the badge introduced himself again and showed me a different ID.“

He said the interrogating officer identified himself as “Bob Hope“ of the “movie association.“

“Eventually, after a long time somebody came with a laptop and an USB cable at which point he told me it was my last chance to come clean. I repeated for the hundredth time there is nothing to come clean about and this is a big misunderstanding so the FBI guy finally connected my Glass to the computer, downloaded all my personal photos and started going though them one by one (although they are dated and it was obvious there was nothing on my Glass that was from the time period they accused me of recording). Then they went through my phone, and 5 minutes later they concluded I had done nothing wrong.“

He said they gave him four free passes to another movie at AMC for his trouble. But he didn’t get an apology, and that made him mad.

“All he said was AMC called him, and he called the FBI. I would have been fine with ‘I’m sorry this happened, please accept our apologies.’ Four free passes just infuriated me.“
"I fancied myself as some kind of god....It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out.” -- George Soros
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Endovelico
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Re: Google Glass moviegoer interrogated by FBI at theatre

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I know this will infuriate some of you, but I can't help thinking there is a shade of nazism in the way authority is understood and used in the US. It seems that in the US the sovereign is said to be the "People", but in fact it is some sort of autonomous entity placed above the community, like the absolute monarch of former times. People may vote, but once they have done so they are expurgated of any power and any rights and become the victims of those who seem to think they have a divine power to interpret the true will of the People. I hope Americans have not lost all their capacity to rebel against tyranny and will sometime tackle this problem.
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Doc
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Re: Google Glass moviegoer interrogated by FBI at theatre

Post by Doc »

Endovelico wrote:I know this will infuriate some of you, but I can't help thinking there is a shade of nazism in the way authority is understood and used in the US. It seems that in the US the sovereign is said to be the "People", but in fact it is some sort of autonomous entity placed above the community, like the absolute monarch of former times. People may vote, but once they have done so they are expurgated of any power and any rights and become the victims of those who seem to think they have a divine power to interpret the true will of the People. I hope Americans have not lost all their capacity to rebel against tyranny and will sometime tackle this problem.
It is called a state of fear. Induced to allow politicians and bureaucrats to get away with all sorts of things. Including all enforcement of things like DRM. Even policemen in the US how often people simply go along with what they tell them to do.
"I fancied myself as some kind of god....It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out.” -- George Soros
noddy
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Re: Google Glass moviegoer interrogated by FBI at theatre

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the american interpretation of intellectual property laws are an odious thing that is 100% weighted to the wishes of the big media companies and has very little balance for fair usage by the community or appropriate punishments for minor offences.

its been a frustrating watching australian rules change because of our one sided free traded agreements with america.

it should be renamed the "disney can never go into the public domain law" and they should cut the crap about protecting innovation.
ultracrepidarian
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Nonc Hilaire
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Re: Google Glass moviegoer interrogated by FBI at theatre

Post by Nonc Hilaire »

noddy wrote:the american interpretation of intellectual property laws are an odious thing that is 100% weighted to the wishes of the big media companies and has very little balance for fair usage by the community or appropriate punishments for minor offences.

its been a frustrating watching australian rules change because of our one sided free traded agreements with america.

it should be renamed the "disney can never go into the public domain law" and they should cut the crap about protecting innovation.
Amen.
“Christ has no body now but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks among His people to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses His creation.”

Teresa of Ávila
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