A new app has sparked a huge backlash after allowing users to use cameras to watch party-goers at trendy nightclubs and bars across San Francisco.
2night, the startup behind the app, hoped the service would promote nightlife in the area, allowing users to watch live streams from bars and clubs to determine if they had the right vibe.
But bar-goers were quick to lash out when they found out they were being recorded without their permission, with some even going so far as to compare the service to ‘Big Brother’.
Some popular San Francisco bars have also objected to the app, complaining that their locations were listed on the service without their consent.
A new app has sparked a huge backlash after allowing users to “creepily spy” on patrons at trendy San Francisco nightclubs and bars.
2night, the startup behind the app, hoped the service would promote nightlife in the area, allowing users to watch live streams of bars and clubs and determine if it was the right vibe.
2night, which until Wednesday was called NightEye, modeled its business on Surfline, a successful app that allows surfers to observe the quality of waves at different beaches.
“The only thing I can offer that’s more useful is live streaming,” said the app’s co-creator, Lucas Harris, who graduated from Pitzer College last year.
Harris thought demand for the app would be high because San Francisco’s nightlife was “difficult to navigate.”
“It was obvious to me that everyone wanted a solution like this to get the feeling they were looking for,” the entrepreneur said.
However, to their surprise, after the app was launched this spring, it generated significant controversy among bar owners and patrons, who were often recorded without their knowledge or permission.
“The only thing I can offer that’s more useful is the live streams,” said app co-creator Lucas Harris, who graduated from Pitzer College last year.
A person who appeared on one of 2night’s live broadcasts told San Francisco Standard that they had concerns because “there was no sign or other revelation that he might be on camera.”
A woman in her thirties told the Standard the app was unnecessary and stopped people having fun.
“You should be able to relax in a bar where Big Brother isn’t watching you,” he said.
The woman added: ‘Just go to a fucking bar… if it’s not cool, go to another bar.’
At first, the app’s founder dismissed people’s concerns about privacy, noting that drinking and clubbing is not a leisurely activity.
The app’s founders sought to allay public concerns about issues such as privacy.
“I still believe you don’t go to a bar or club to have privacy,” he said before adding: “You’re surrounded by strangers.”
2night’s reach is limited at this time and its services are restricted to five to eight locations, including Boto Restaurant, Brazilian Bar, Trinity Irish Bar and Mayes Oyster House.
At the Irish Bar and Oyster House, the app offers live streams on Friday and Saturday nights, though Harris hopes those dates will soon include Thursday and Saturday nights as well.
According to the young entrepreneur, the places the company is associated with control when the cameras are turned on.
He also explained that the livestreams are primarily intended to highlight live music shows in bars and clubs.
Still, some local club owners have offered brutal opinions about the controversial startup.
Jamie Zawinski, owner of DNA Lounge, a local club and music venue, was vocal about his disdain for the app:
Mayes Oyster House owner Matt Corvi (pictured) defended the app
Let me guess, some tech guy has this innovative idea of being the rent-seeking middleman who charges venues and bands to do pay-per-view streams.
Rico Avila, the operator of the White Rabbit bar, even learned, to his dismay, that a partner bar was listed on a “nearby bars” list on the app without his permission.
“We contacted them, but there was no response,” Ávila told the Standard.
The bar owner denounced the app, saying the White Rabbit would never allow live streaming and that the idea behind the service was “bad in many ways.”
Mayes Oyster House is a proud service partner.
“It’s completely invasive for you,” he said, before stating further:
‘It could encourage bad actors to use it. That’s another big concern… Liability is a big reason, you know, it opens us up to a lot of very precarious legal situations.’
Harris has since removed the bar’s name from the list and he and co-founder Francesco Bini have taken additional steps to appease angry locals.
The service now blurs people’s faces and live streams are not saved.
“All the live streams you can access within the app are blurred.”
Other bar owners are more supportive of the app, seeing it as a way to generate interest in the local bar scene.
Matt Corvi, owner of Mayes Oyster House, said that Standard: ‘I like the idea. I think it’s fun.’
He continued: ‘Over time, it will help the bar and eventually help the kids decide where they want to go. I think that’s the main goal.’
Rico Avila, the operator of the White Rabbit bar (pictured), learned, to his dismay, that a partner bar was appearing on a “nearby bars” list on the app without his permission.
Bar-goers were quick to hit out at the app after learning they were being recorded without their permission, with some even going so far as to compare the service to ‘Big Brother’.
Corvi said he did not expect so many people to complain about being recorded without their consent, noting that there were already security cameras active at those locations.
“These questions are like turning this around to make it seem weird and creepy,” Corvi said, before adding, “It’s a shame that people feel that way, you know?” That’s not the intention. “The intention is to promote more business and get people out.”
“Bars, restaurants and nightclubs are dying in San Francisco. We need help.”