Everyone knows the NFL has a strict rule about not letting its fans record footage of games “without the expressed written consent of the National Football League.” Of course, it would seem impossible to enforce that nowadays. Everyone and their grandmother is carrying around a smartphone that can record every waking minutes of their lives. However, a special and scary sounding piece of technology may be able to stop these super-criminals–even if they are lucky enough to go to the actual game. [Image via Anthony Quintano/Flickr]
Ars Technica reported that the NFL plans to use some kind of blocking cell phone video streaming during Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey. The technology blocker will prevent the fans in the stands from recording portions of the game on their smartphones and uploading it to YouTube or their other social networking sites. The NFL has tried this before at other Super Bowls in the past but this is the first time that they have found a way to not only block the uploading of videos through the stadium’s Wi-Fi network but also through the fans’ cellular services if they choose not to connect to the free Wi-Fi service.
The NFL has a right to protect their interests but possessing this kind of technology on such a massive scale feels a little scary. We’re not saying that they might use it the way that a super-villain in a James Bond movie would someday. We’re just worried that if it falls into the wrong hands, it could put a huge crimp in our ability to record and post videos of drunken friends falling on their faces for the rest of the world to enjoy.
Super Bowl Crowd Won't Be Able To Tape the Game from Their Phones
