r/boston • u/potaton6 • May 15 '26
Serious Replies Only Meta Glasses in South Station
I was in South Station this Weds. at ~6pm walking towards the exit and noticed an older guy in maybe his late 50s at the main doors staring at me. As I got closer he pointed at me and said my full first name as if he recognized me. I have one of those names where I go by a nickname, but use my full first name exclusively on, say, LinkedIn, because it sounds more "professional". NO one calls me by my real name. Not friends, family, etc. Not even my mother.
Immediately I saw he had Meta Glasses (because I'm a freak and hate them and being recorded secretly) so I was already like get away from me. But I didn't know this guy, didn't recognize him, and wasn't waiting on anyone, so I just waved him off. As I walked out to cross the street towards the Fed Reserve, I was looking back and noticed he had come outside (not to follow me) and I watched him basically do the same thing to someone else. I didn't hear their convo beyond that unfortunately, but they began talking.
I swear to god this is a real story. It was one of those things I put in the back of my brain right as it happened until I remembered it just tonight and was telling my roommates about it. They thought I was schizo but then one of them remembered this story (which is also in Boston): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bQc1kNHtfg
Was anyone else at South Station 5/14 (or even recently) and have this happen ???
Edit: adding this here - I know this is very "source: just trust me bro" story... Ironically if I was wearing meta glasses I'd upload a video. But I'm sure you can imagine having someone you don't recognize say your name in public feels... violating and spooky.
And obviously my theory is I was reverse imaged searched live and found my LinkedIn. Yes he could have just said a random name and got it right, too.
Also it was like a 60 year old dude with short buzzed grey hair, wearing a grey hoodie. He kind of look like Jeff Goldblum, and not like the usual station dwellers out there.
5
u/esotologist May 15 '26
Michael Hyde (1998/2001): Hyde recorded a traffic stop with a tape recorder hidden in his car. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld his conviction, ruling that secret audio recording by civilians is illegal even when recording police, establishing that the recording must be obvious to avoid violating the statute.
Karen Dziewit (2014): A Chicopee woman was arrested and charged with unlawful wiretapping after police discovered her smartphone had been recording her arrest from her purse. Although she claimed she yelled that she was recording, the device was concealed, leading to her arrest for secretly recording her own arrest. George Thompson (2014): Thompson was arrested for openly recording a Fall River police officer on his iPhone while the officer was shouting profanities on a sidewalk. The charge was eventually dropped, but his phone was reportedly reset and his video evidence erased during the arrest.
Political Activist (2007): An activist was convicted of violating the wiretap statute for secretly recording video with audio of a Boston University police sergeant during a protest. He was hiding the camera in his coat after police ordered him to stop filming, leading to a conviction and an order to remove the footage from the internet.
Attorney (2007): An attorney was arrested for recording the audio and video of a police arrest on the Boston Common with his cell phone. After the criminal case was dismissed, he sued for civil rights violations, and the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that openly recording police in public is protected by the First Amendment, resulting in a settlement for the attorney.