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2011-08-25 09:50:28
By Matthew Cooke Reporter, BBC London
There are over 12 thousand CCTV cameras on the London Underground system,
monitoring the movements of millions of passengers every single day.
But some commuters are also doing their own electronic reconnaissance.
There are a growing number of websites and photo galleries dedicated to
critiquing the appearance, dress and behaviour of fellow travellers.
Adam Moger was travelling on the Northern line in South London one Sunday
morning, when his photograph was secretly taken by someone using a mobile
phone.
It wasn't until three days later when his friends contacted him, that Mr Moger
realised his image was now part of an online trend.
His picture appeared on the website Tubecrush.net and a connected twitter
account, and his looks and fashion sense were being rated online.
"I had no idea whatsoever - I was just sat on the tube minding my own business
one Sunday morning after being out the night before," he said.
"A couple of days later my friends were phoning me up and emailing me - and
laughing about my picture being online."
Tubecrush.net invites commuters to send in pictures of strangers they find
attractive or eye-catching. Subjects must be men travelling on the London
underground.
The person having their photograph taken is normally unaware their image is
online. "It was slightly strange at first, but then I was quite flattered,"
said Mr Moger.
"We always see people on the tube who we fancy. Then sometimes you wish you had
taken a picture of them, but I don't think I'll be taking pictures of other
people though!"
As seen on TV
Tubecrush.net was set up by four young professionals living in South London.
Seven months ago Steve Motion, Gemma Dean, Andy Kaufman and Michael Sparrow
were watching a dating quiz programme on television when they came up with the
idea for the site.
Mr Kaufman, the technical controller said: "We were watching women judging male
contestants on the TV, and thought it'd be funny if you could do that in real
life."
"We thought taking pictures of people on the tube in London would be best,
because the underground has a certain sort of atmosphere."
"People often sit in silence and look around at everyone they're travelling
with - so it seemed like a fun idea."
"We decided to start taking pictures ourselves and then asked strangers to send
theirs in too."
Worldwide phenomenon
Mr Kaufman explained that the site now receives pictures from as far afield as
Brazil and Japan, as well as other UK cities, including Glasgow and Manchester.
But many are rejected.
"If the photographs weren't taken on the Tube then we don't tweet them, as we
want to keep the main website focused on the Underground itself," he said.
Hundreds of photographs sent in are sorted into categories, including which
part of the tube system the picture was taken on.
"The Northern Line and the District Line seem to be most popular for pictures,"
said Mr Kaufman.
Blue man on underground The London Underground is considered a public place so
is fair game for photographing strangers
A number of similar social networking accounts and online galleries have sprung
up. Some like @peopleonthetube focus on odd clothing and strange circumstances,
while the now defunct @tube_chicks rated pictures of female passengers.
But @tubecrush decided not to ask for pictures of women as "we felt like men
taking pictures of women on the tube feels different - it's not the same as gay
men or women taking pictures of other men," said Mr Kaufman.
The site first attracted gay men who wanted to send in photographs, but now 60
percent of pictures received are from women.
Tubecrush.net is now so popular it has encouraged a sister twitter account to
be set up in New York - @subwaycrush.
It has also begun to sell branded merchandise and is looking at setting up
websites in other cities.
Legal concerns
Tubecrush.net sets out on its website what to do if someone sees their own
picture in a gallery, and wants it removed.
It has a "photo removal request" option and so far, in seven months, only three
people have asked for their image to be taken down.
Bank station sign Good service on the Northern Line - some routes are more
popular with amateur photographers
Transport for London (TfL) said that all commuters on the Underground were
considered to be in a public area, making photographing them legal.
But there are ethical concerns when the images of strangers are uploaded
online.
Most are completely unaware their image has been uploaded and is being scored
by strangers.
The team behind @tubecrush said: "We hope people take the site in the spirit it
was intended - it is not to cause offence."
Another website which uses pictures taken on public transport, @peopleonthetube
told the BBC: "This blog is intended as a celebration of life on the London
Underground. It does not aim to mock, make fun of or objectify people. It's
just a bit of fun."
Yet many will find the website and others like it an invasion of privacy.
It is yet another consequence of the social networking and internet revolution
that we need to come to terms with, and perhaps address. The debate will
doubtless continue.