A TikToker says she confronted a “creepy old man” who was allegedly photographing her and her friends during a recent visit to a beach in Florida.
Footage of the incident, which was uploaded to TikTok on Saturday, has already been viewed more than 200,000 times.
The video begins with the man going through his photo gallery, which appears to show pictures of the TikToker and her friends in bikinis.
One of the young women in the video can be seen selecting numerous photos in the man’s phone in an effort to make sure that all of the content is removed.
“Yea, you’re going to delete all those pictures,” one woman says.
The footage quickly led to widespread debate, with users in the comment section arguing over whether the incident was justified.
Many male users appeared to suggest that the TikToker was actually in the wrong given that there is no expectation of privacy in public.
“You’re in public, anyone can video or take pictures,” one user wrote. “You don’t get to touch anyone else, so technically you’re in the wrong.”
“There is no expectation of privacy when out in PUBLIC,” another said.
Yet many female users pushed back, astounded at those who would defend the man’s actions.
“Can’t believe some people don’t know that just because something is legal doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong,” one user said.
“Lmaooo the guys defending him in this comment section are actually admitting they’d do the same as him,” another stated.
The TikTok user who uploaded the footage, @bare_naked, also defended her and her friends’ reaction to being photographed.
“Everyone in these comments defending him, y’all are on something,” she wrote. “Would be different if it was your daughter or niece…”
The Daily Dot reached out to @bare_naked to inquire about the incident but did not receive a reply by press time.
The incident is far from the first of its kind to show up on TikTok. Just last year another TikToker went viral after confronting a man who was photographing her at the airport.
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