In some cases, rights of
assembly and expression in public spaces require permits to be
secured from local authorities; this has been met with scepticism
because it places the legal status of such sites in the hands of
those bearing guns and handcuffs (McCarthy and McPhail,
2006; Zick, 2006). Most recently, emerging technologies have
raised new legal concerns about public space, including whether
the proliferation of surveillance cameras in such places abridges
privacy rights or the fourth amendment protection from
unreasonable searches and seizures