Ride Policy Reminder

As a reminder to the community, taking pictures, videotaping and filming on rides is prohibited at Cedar Point *. There is no exception to the rule for devices such as Google Glass. Enthusiasts who violate this rule will be permanently prohibited from attending enthusiasts events at Cedar Point.

https://www.cedarpoint.com/plan-a-visit/ride-policies-and-procedures

* - Picture taking is permitted on the C.P. & L.E. Railroad.

+1

Not questioning the policy for posting such videos here, but I am curious about the park's policy for google glass. I would think it would be acceptable provided you have a glasses strap just like any other pair of glasses.

Given that there will almost certainly be versions coming that can mount to existing frames, their "no exception" rule is the correct one. And that's ignoring the privacy issues. Smart move by the park.

I was at Great America on opening weekend, and a kid was hanging around the Goliath contraction area, talking to people and looking over the fence. It was only a a few minutes after seeing him come around that I realized he had a camera in his sunglasses.

Creeped me out a little bit to think of the privacy he was violating.

Yeah, I'm actually surprised parks aren't simply banning their use park-wide. Seems like something they'd want to correct before any issues, perceived or otherwise.

What expectation of privacy do you have when you are out in public?

To not be recorded extensively, without my permission. Especially in bathrooms.

I suggest you get used to it. Privacy as we have known it is a thing of the past. Eventually there will be glasses that are unable to be detected as cameras that will record a constant stream of a 360 degree view, as well as drones as small as gnats that could fly undetected into your house with an HD camera. Policies like this tend to be a stop gap at best when it comes to things like Glass.

As for something like a big, heavy Samsung Galaxy that could come flying off a ride into someone's head? Yeah, that's definitely worth banning, and should be.

I don't think anyone has a right to privacy in a public space. Being in public is pretty much the opposite of private. Public bathrooms are at least semi private space so they are different.

Drones that fly into my house are also a different matter. That is a private place where I have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Scottyf said:
I suggest you get used to it.

Until your sci-fi fantasies come to fruition as commonly-available consumer products, I'm not willing to give up my right to privacy just because the point may be moot in 20 years.

GoBucks89 said:
I don't think anyone has a right to privacy in a public space.

To privacy? No. But I contend that there's a difference between expecting privacy and expecting to not be surreptitiously recorded by a stranger.

Public bathrooms are at least semi private space so they are different.

So, is the park going to ask guests to remove their prescription glasses when going into the bathroom? How is that supposed to work?

Consumer drone, expected to cost $300-$400. Controllable with virtual reality headsets or via a conventional controller. Range up to 2km with accessory antenna. Available 4th quarter.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/11/parrot-bebop/

That said, people have the right to shoot video of anything in a public place, including people. Google Glass and the like is just a pedestrian version of a car dash cam, which is in common use now.

I am not sure the law agrees with you. That is why a Massachusetts court found that upskirt pics taken while person was in public were legal. And I think there is much more of an expectation of privacy in that instance than there is at an amusement park open to the public.

The issue of bathrooms has already been addressed at least to some degree with phones. At some point, cameras were somewhat big and bulky and weren't easy to sneak anywhere. Smartphones make it pretty easy to carry cameras pretty much everywhere. And are they talkin on their phone/checking email or taking videos/pics?

They could make you take off google glasses before entering a bathroom. I have never seen a pair so I have no idea how easy it is to spot them. But I am not sure it will make sense to have people checking for that at bathroom doors.

Law hasn't caught up with technology. But that is typically the case.

GoBucks89 said:
I am not sure the law agrees with you. That is why a Massachusetts court found that upskirt pics taken while person was in public were legal.

CP is not a public place, so the company can therefore regulate whether or not Glass is permitted on their property, correct?

Recall the issue last season (I think?) at KI of the guy taking video or whatever of kids. It was relatively easy to spot him. I don't know that the same would have been true had he been wearing Glass.

The issue of bathrooms has already been addressed at least to some degree with phones.
...
And are they talkin on their phone/checking email or taking videos/pics?

If I saw someone in the bathroom with their phone in a manner that would facilitate capturing photos or video, I would absolutely call them out, and depending on the situation, might report them.

Cedar Point is open to the public. I do not know the legal nuances in terms of differences between that and being a public place. Seems to me that in terms of privacy, there wouldn't be much, if any, in the way of differences.

The park does have the ability to restrict what people can bring into the park and what they can do while there. In that sense it is different from a purely public place. So they should be able to ban google glass if they so decide. Enforcing it will be another matter though I suspect.

That being said I don't think anyone should have an expectation of privacy while walking down the midways, waiting in line or riding rides while at the park. My initial response in this thread was to the issue of privacy that had been raised not whether the park could ban google glass.

The expectation of privacy while at the park should be quickly dismissed when you think about the fact there are several webcams on property, with their stream available to the public, anywhere in the world.

FYI, shortly after the court found up-skirt photos legal a new law was put on the books making them illegal.

Glassholes are pretty easy to spot.

In this case, the company can make whatever policy it wants, especially on the rides. It's also because people may see video on the Internet and not make any distinction between a video shot with Google Glass or a cell phone, so that makes it OK either way.

Jeff's right here. It is entirely up to the park to set the rules.

Lakeside Park in Denver has a no pictures whatsoever policy in place that is strictly enforced. I've heard stories where shutterbugs have had their cameras confiscated by security and held til they leave.
Don't go there and expect to snap shots of that place, day or night, on any kind of camera. Or of your own family, even strictly for personal use.

While that may be taking the privacy issue to what we would consider an extreme, on board ride recording is prohibited for a reason. And until the park adjusts it's policy to accommodate head gear (which they likely won't), any blatant violation of set and well known rules is disgraceful.

Why are people so insistent on taking videos & stuff on rides, I never understood it. Hey lets shoot a pretty crummy POV of the ride and post it to Youtube..Cool guys

Not really..ah well