Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in AV Design: Lessons from the UNC Recording Scandal
In May 2024, a news scandal hit higher ed. University of North Carolina administrators had secretly recorded a professor. Admins used the classroom recording system in order to do this. There are a number of stories in the press about this, including this one in “Inside Higher Ed” and this follow up from the same publication. There is much to consider about this situation, and much to debate about the ethics and appropriateness of what the administration did. However, my mind drifted to the questions that we may receive as designers and installers, responsible for the system.
Dilemmas
In discussing this situation with fellow AV colleagues, we all initially recognized that we had never had to deal with any of the following hypothetical questions (thankfully), but all wondered what we would do if asked. The most common dilemma was what we would all do if we were assigned a task that was potentially unethical. For example, let’s say we are installing a recording system or videoconferencing system in any space and our customer (let’s assume this is an administrator/executive) asks for us to grant them the ability to record, watch or listen to what is happening in that space — and specifically asks that it not be evident they are doing so. Local laws may make this easy in some places. If any local laws stipulate rules about surreptitious recording or require two-party consent, then I believe as designers we have a requirement to say no. However, if those laws don’t exist, we are in a more dubious space. Do we complete a task simply because that is what a customer asks for? Do we discuss our concerns with this behavior with the customer? Do we — at any point — simply refuse to complete this work? In the end, the question is: Do we do something that is legal, but may not be ethical?
Here’s another dilemma: How much of the truth do we tell people if receive questions about the installation? If you are in a corporate board room doing an installation and people come in and ask questions out of curiosity (which always happens), and they specifically ask whether they can be recorded or viewed without their knowledge, do you tell the truth? Do you direct them to “your customer” to answer those questions?
Here’s what I would do.
What’s the fun of writing a blog like this if you don’t get to give your opinion/create some controversy? My answer to the first dilemma is that you should do what your customer asks, assuming that it is within the boundaries of the law. There are numerous reasons someone would want to record or view an event without the people in that space knowing. (There are safety reasons, investigatory reasons and evaluation reasons.) If you think you are working for sketchy people who are looking to do this for unsavory reasons, then you should probably find new customers and people to work for. Otherwise, you need to trust that your client understands their business and its needs. For the second dilemma, I think you should tell the truth. Make it clear to your customer that if asked, you will tell the truth. If you have a customer that is asking you to lie for them, then you really need to drop them. Let another firm that is willing to lie get their business.
I am not saying I agree with what happened at UNC. In fact, I don’t have enough information to know whether or not it was warranted. Classrooms are a place where sensitive topics are discussed and what is said can be taken out of context, so I believe we need to be very thoughtful before doing what UNC did. Yet, in today’s world, you need to believe that if you are in any public space, you are possibly — or likely — being recorded in some fashion. From municipal cameras to cell phones to products like Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, recordings are happening everywhere and all the time. You must assume you are being watched and recorded, then behave appropriately.
