A woman cheered in the stands among other fans at a Seattle Seahawks game in Bellevue, Wash. She was shocked when she spotted her own face on the phone of the man next to her.
In a video with over 199,000 views, TikToker Jen Ariella (@jen.ariella) filmed the man’s phone screen over his shoulder.
The man texted a selfie of himself with Ariella, who wasn’t looking at the camera, on Facebook Messenger.
He typed a message reading, “Yan Ing katabi ko partner.” According to Google Translate, the sentence means, “This person [next to me] is my partner,” in Tagalog.
On-screen text reads, “Y’all why am I at the Seahawks game and this man next to me just took a picture of me and in the caption he’s saying im his wife pls what.”
Is It Legal To Take Pictures Of People In Public?
While Ariella laughed off the awkward situation in the comments, some suggested that the sneaky picture is creepy. However, the man is likely within his rights to snap a pic of her while they both occupy a public space.
According to FindLaw, people shouldn’t expect privacy while attending concerts and sporting events, as public photography is a protected form of expression under the United States’ First Amendment.
There may be some restrictions on where the photos can be used without permission, but simply taking a photo of a fellow Seattle Seahawks fan and sending it to a friend isn’t illegal.
On the r/NoStupidQuestions subreddit, users discussed the line between public photo-taking and a creepy situation. Many lamented that there’s not much the subject of an unwanted photo can do unless the situation escalates to harassment.
“Not excusing his behavior, but he didn’t do anything wrong legally. There’s an assumption that when you’re in public, you’re in public. And unfortunately, there are creeps who take advantage of it,” one commenter wrote.
Another said, “Super f—— creep, but in public there is no expectation of privacy.”
Some suggested people turn their own cameras on the person recording them to diffuse the situation or discourage the sneaky photographer from snapping pictures.
How Did Viewers React To The Awkward Situation?
Commenters joked about the man’s lie to his Facebook friend, with Ariella chiming in with her opinion on the situation.
“Girl you looked so good he had to tell his homeboy or somebody,” one wrote.
Another said, “And i would have said since Im your wife is need 500 dollars.”
“He really needs to invest in a privacy screen,” a third joked.
Despite the strange message, Ariella said she decided not to confront the man but wished he asked her permission.
“I truly would’ve smiled for the pic had he said something,” she wrote in the comments.
However, others said they would have felt differently about the situation if they were in her shoes. Some said they would have confronted the man or asked him to “pay up.”
“I’m sorry because that’s creepy!!” a commenter exclaimed.
“So they never stop lying,” a second remarked.
“Lmaoo send him a fee I would,” another suggested.
@jen.ariella now why am i in it . . . #footballtiktok #footballsunday #fypシ #viral #funny
BroBible reached out to Ariella and to the Seattle Seahawks via email for further comment.