Periscope live streaming app raises new questions about privacy, citizen journalism

Periscope, Twitter's new live streaming app, has quickly shot to prominence, raising new concerns about privacy, as more people put their everyday lives on the air more easily than ever before.

On March 26, the day the app launched, dozens of New Yorkers broadcast live video of a building that exploded into flames before news media arrived on the scene.

The app allows users to broadcast live video from their smartphone cameras to anyone on the internet, either publicly or privately to a selected list of people.

Metro Morning4:57Periscope privacy

Anyone who is online has lost some of their privacy and it's become a huge issue. We talk to someone who understands the risks, but who also reaps the benefits of sharing her life online.

Thanks to Twitter's considerable marketing push for the app, it quickly asserted itself as a rival to Meerkat, a similar live streaming app introduced at the SXSW festival only a week earlier. Celebrities including Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon have already jumped on the bandwagon, giving fans a live backstage look at their productions.

People are already using Periscope and Meerkat for a wide range of activities, from breaking news live at the scene, to more mundane activities such as a man browsing through the contents of his fridge.

You can watch David Common's full report on Periscope from Sunday's The National in the video above, and click on the audio link to listen to CBC Trending's Lauren O'Neil discuss the app on CBC Radio's Metro Morning.