Why A Hidden Mic On A Street Pole Is Listening To San Francisco's Mission District

Cities are often a symphony of sounds. From the clanging of construction sites, the blaring of horns on the streets, or the music people listen to in public spaces. It’s that last aspect that became the focus for Bop Spotter, created by developer Riley Walz. It uses a phone with Shazam running, alongside a microphone aimed at the street, to document the music currently being listened to by residents of the Mission District in San Francisco.

According to the project’s site, the idea was inspired by the Shot Spotter system that’s installed in cities across the United States. Shot Spotter is designed to detect and locate gunshots to help police better address crime and gun violence. The web page says, “this is culture surveillance. No one notices, no one consents. But it's not about catching criminals. It's about catching vibes. A constant feed of what’s popping off in real-time.”

Bop Spotter has a decidedly retro look that wouldn't be out of place in the city's trains system, with pixelated text atop an olive green background. It has the date followed by a chronological list of all the music the phone has captured and run through Shazam. It also includes handy buttons to Spotify and Apple Music for anyone anyone interested in listening to any of the songs.

This is certainly a novel way to discover new music in an age where every music service has its own bespoke recommendation engine or makes use of AI for custom playlists. Although privacy advocates are likely distressed to know that a microphone is constantly recording every sound in a certain spot of the city.

Does this seem like a harmless, fun project, or feel like a creepy part of the surveillance people encounter on daily basis? Let us know in the comments below.