Is "Public Shaming on Social Media" Justice or Vigilantism? Can We Afford to Make Mistakes in a Society Where Everyone Has a "Surveillance Camera"?

1. What is the Current "SNS Exposure"?

"SNS exposure" refers to the act of filming nuisance, illegal activities, or rule violations (such as shoplifting, verbal abuse, littering, smoking while walking, and railway etiquette violations) and then publishing and spreading them on social media in a way that the individuals involved can be identified.

The key point is that instead of warnings or reports at the scene, "sanctions through exposure" tend to be set. As the spread progresses, it can lead to speculations about the person's address and workplace, attacks on family members, and threatening comments, causing the "punishment" to snowball.

This phenomenon is approaching a "social system" rather than just a simple online uproar—this was felt through the case of shoplifting footage spreading overseas.NEWSjp

2. Case Study: Shoplifting Footage from a School Trip Spread "Worldwide"

Reports indicated that several Japanese high school students on a school trip to Indonesia were involved in shoplifting, prompting the school to apologize and mention a review of their guidance.NEWSjp
However, what decisively captured public attention was the security camera footage released by the store, which spread through social media, exposing the faces of the students to the world. The internet was filled with harsh reactions like "life is over," sparking renewed debate about the weight of "digital tattoos" (indelible records).NEWSjp

What's important here is that the discussion doesn't end with "shoplifting is bad/unforgivable."
Who administers the "punishment," through what procedures, and to what extent? We have inadvertently nurtured a massive circuit of "public sanctions" outside the realms of law and court.

3. The Logic of the "Justice Exposure" Side: The Argument that it Acts as a Deterrent

In the discussion, the stance that "exposure acts as a deterrent" was expressed. For example, Mr. Hiroyuki argued that "exposure" supplements areas beyond the reach of law and police, suggesting that if there were a "bookstore that exposes" and a "bookstore that doesn't," children would target the store where they wouldn't be exposed, thus resulting in crime deterrence.NEWSjp

The strength of this argument lies in its focus on "effect" rather than emotion.
For instance, when nuisance behavior is repeated at stations or stores, some people feel that "even if you warn them, they won't stop" or "even if you report it, nothing can be done unless it's caught in the act." Here, "exposure" functions as an immediate "punishment."

However, this immediacy is also dangerous. This is because public sanctions are difficult to ensure accuracy, proportionality, and redress.

4. Warnings from the "Vigilante Justice" Side: Misunderstandings and Excessive Sanctions are Hard to Stop Once They Start

From another perspective, it was pointed out that on the internet, "the victim/perpetrator roles can reverse at any time," not all visible facts are the whole story, and the exposer could end up suffering significant damage.NEWSjp

Furthermore, writer Hiroki Muto, who is knowledgeable about SNS troubles, raised concerns about the unchecked proliferation of exposure acts in society. He warned that once something goes viral with faces exposed, the sanction spirals out of the poster's control, becoming increasingly radical due to crowd psychology—hence the need for clear boundaries.NEWSjp

The essence here is not "people who do bad things deserve to be bashed," but rather,
whether the bashers are gaining "unlimited power."

5. Legal Risks: Those Who Expose May Also Be Held Accountable

The act of spreading personal faces or information on SNS can lead to issues of defamation, insult, or privacy invasion, depending on the content and situation. In discussions, the risk that "even if the other party is violating manners, spreading it can lead to privacy invasion or defamation" was mentioned.NEWSjp

Under Japanese criminal law, frameworks like defamation (Article 230) and insult (Article 231) exist, and their relationship with online slander is organized.Ministry of Justice
Additionally, in discussions about strengthening penalties for insults, the distinction between legitimate expressions (such as fair criticism) has been a point of focus.Ministry of Justice+1

Furthermore, "video" has a stronger ability to identify individuals than text. Face, voice, clothing, location information, background, companions—when fragments accumulate, it becomes easier to identify the person. Privacy invasion is an area with accumulated case law.PPC

*This is a general discussion, and the legality of individual cases should be confirmed with an expert.*

6. The Psychological Cost of a "Surveillance Society": Freedom Also Means "Being Left Alone"

Philosopher Toru Moriwaki stated that with smartphones, "everyone has a surveillance camera," and the once-discussed question of whether this is truly compatible with freedom has been forgotten. He also expressed concern that mutual surveillance due to digital tattoos, which make it impossible to fail, is making life more difficult.NEWSjp

The "freedom" mentioned here is not just the freedom to do as one pleases.
**"The freedom not to be permanently banished from society for a single mistake"** is also included.

People make mistakes, apologize, learn, and repair relationships.
Whether the possibility of recovery is being crushed by public sanctions—this question is a global issue.

7. International Comparison: The Spread of "Exposure Culture" Worldwide and Differences in Response

"Exposure" is not unique to Japan. In Western countries, it has become problematic in forms like "public shaming," "cancel culture," and "doxxing" (exposing personal information).
A symbolic institutional aspect is the EU's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which includes the **right to erasure (commonly known as the "right to be forgotten")**, allowing individuals to request the deletion of personal data under certain conditions.

However, in reality, it is difficult to completely erase "information that has been copied and reposted once." Therefore, what is commonly questioned across countries is not just the law, but also the operation of platforms, reporting pathways, education, and our very own "fingers that spread."

8. Alternatives to "Exposure": Implementing Public Reporting Routes in Society

Takeshi Natsuno of Kinki University suggested that while laws exist, situations where the police cannot reach may end with "I don't know," and that some deterrent effect is necessary for crimes like shoplifting. He proposed the idea of integrating a system into society where data can be directly submitted to public institutions, similar to parking violations, instead of exposing it.NEWSjp

This is a very important direction.
We tend to choose "exposure," but in many cases, there is a resignation that "reporting is useless." If so, fixing the structure that breeds resignation—

• knowing where to report

• having a structured way to present evidence

• connecting to consultations and deletion requests

• ensuring victims are not isolated

Improving such "social UI" is healthier in the long run.

9. A "Boundary" Checklist We Can Use Right Now

Anger and a sense of justice are natural emotions. The problem is that the circuit that converts those emotions into "public sanctions" is too simple. Before posting, please check these five points.

1. What is the purpose?(Is it to raise awareness, to sanction, or to ridicule?)

2. Is it necessary?(Would reporting, contacting staff, or informing a manager suffice?)

3. Have you reduced personal identifiability?(Processing faces, voices, location information, uniforms, numbers, etc.)

4. Is it proportional?(The difference between a mistake and a crime, first-time and habitual offenses, the level of danger)

5. Have you left room for correction and recovery?(Deletion in case of misunderstanding, apology, information update)

The moment you think it's "justice," a check is necessary.
Justice is often the most prone to runaway.

10. Conclusion: SNS Exposure Can Be Both "Justice" and "Vigilante Justice." Therefore, a System is Needed

"SNS exposure" may seem like a means of victim relief or deterrence in some situations. However, it can also become vigilante justice that destroys lives through misunderstandings, excessive sanctions, and permanent marking (digital tattoos).NEWSjp

In an era where everyone has a "surveillance camera" with their smartphone, what is needed is not a binary choice between "expose/do not expose."
A reporting pathway leading to public means, transparent platform operation, and our "ethics of not spreading"—these three points are essential.

A society where one cannot fail is suffocating for everyone.
Therefore, we should aim to be a society that chooses "recovery mechanisms" over the "pleasure of punishment."

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