Heston Cobb, 24, was arrested earlier this month for a series of stunts recorded using AI glasses and posted on social media.
Tempe, Ariz. – Tempe’s social media influencers have gained millions of views on prank videos that businesses say they’ve gone too far.
Heston Cobb, 24, also known as Heston James, faces charges of video disorderly conduct, robbery and spoofing detectives, who were arrested by Tempe police earlier this month and show a group of men in the business who dressed employees.
One of his recent videos reportedly shows that Cobb claims to be in Tempe’s Big Brand Tire corporate office. The video then shows the load of buses on buses as they are pulled up to the car body shop and then left and then ran through the work area.
An employee who worked during the stunt said 12News Cobb followers were opening the doors of customers, going under the car and using equipment to remove tires from the vehicle. His biggest concern was the safety of workers and clients.
“People are running to you with tools, but you don’t know what people can do these days,” he said.
During the so-called prank, the workers said one of the men was wearing Ray-Ban meta AI sunglasses to document the incident. Jessica Elles and Tempe police said Cobb used these high-tech glasses frequently in his videos. The pair were seized when officers served as a search warrant at Cobb’s home shortly after their arrest.
“It’s a much more secret way to do it, not just turn on a phone,” Elles said.
The glasses can record video for up to three minutes using the camera just next to the lens. A simple press on the hinge button will start recording and a flashing white light will appear next to the camera to notify you when the recording is in progress.
Elles also said that for those who don’t know what it is, they may not be able to recognize whether their glasses are recording a video.
“It’s definitely a concern that these things will become more accessible as we may start buying these glasses and recording devices and then using them for evil purposes because they’re going to be more advanced in technology and cheaper,” Elles said.
Arizona law states that video recordings do not occur in areas where there is reasonable expectations of privacy, such as inside people’s homes, bathrooms, and locker rooms.
Israel Barderas, a licensed lawyer and professor at Elon University in North Carolina, specializes in amendments. He said that if people are in public, such as walking on sidewalks or on parks, they can record it because there are no reasonable expectations of privacy.
The restaurants and malls are different, but that doesn’t mean that anyone can go inside and start recording the video.
“The individual has no right to record within the Chipotle unless Chipotle gives that individual’s permission,” Valderas said. “It’s a private company.”
These companies are considered private property and therefore no recordings will occur on the premises unless permitted by their business. Especially when it comes to video of law-breaking content being filmed.
“These pranks, they’re in private property. Now, am I expecting privacy at restaurants? No? But does the restaurant have the right to say you can’t record?
12News tried to talk to Cobb at his Tempe home. However, someone else answered the door and refused to answer the question.
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