ShotSpotter, a microphone-powered system used by many cities in the U.S. to detect gunshots, has been a subject of controversy in recent years. In Chicago, the program was implemented over six years ago but was turned off on September 22 when the contract expired. A study found that the app had unintended consequences, such as slowing police response times to 911 calls and causing them to arrive on scene later. Despite this, a number of shooting deaths in Chicago neighborhoods where ShotSpotter was turned off have led to calls for its reinstatement.
Meanwhile, artist Riley Walz has taken inspiration from the concept of surveillance and created a unique project called Bop Spotter. This real-time collector of songs played by passersby in San Francisco’s Mission District utilizes a phone running Shazam nonstop inside a box high up on a pole. The solar-powered device with a microphone points down on the street, detecting music and automatically adding the tunes to a playlist on the Bop Spotter site. Over 1,400 songs have been collected so far, ranging from rock to hip-hop to meditation sounds.
Walz describes Bop Spotter as a form of “culture surveillance,” capturing the musical vibes of a neighborhood without the knowledge or consent of those being recorded. Unlike ShotSpotter, which aims to catch criminals, Bop Spotter focuses on catching the essence of a community through its music. Walz’s project raises questions about the nature of surveillance and the boundaries of privacy in a digital age.
In addition to Bop Spotter, Walz has created other projects that explore the intersection of technology and culture. These include apps that generate random routes for runners, experiments with Twitter’s verification process, and an archive of global newspaper front pages. To learn more about Walz’s work, visit his website.
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