An unidentified social media influencer has been gaining popularity by secretly filming and posting interviews online with female students on Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus.

FAU student Gerlian Tripari, a sophomore studying biological sciences, was in a hurry walking on the Boca Raton campus by the Parliament Parking Garage when she was approached by a stranger asking her random questions. She didn’t know that the entire conversation was secretly being recorded.

While she thought this was a harmless interaction, she had no idea she’d later find that conversation to be recorded and posted on the “lustinstaste” Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube social media accounts for thousands to see.

A spokesperson for the university wrote that a variety of university policies might be applicable in this case. According to the university’s Regulation 7.006 on Trespassing and Loitering, individuals not affiliated with FAU may use public areas on campus during regular business hours. FAU is a state university; therefore, its campus is open to the public.

The spokesperson also noted the Student Code of Conduct that can be found in Regulation 4.007, and the Policy 1.15, which covers discrimination and harassment on campus, can apply to the case. The spokesperson advised that if anyone feels they have been subject to a violation of these policies, they should contact the Dean of Students Office or the FAU Police Department.

Under the Florida Security of Communications Act, Florida’s Two-Party Consent Law requires both parties to consent to a recorded conversation. The exception to this rule is if the conversation occurs in a public setting where neither party reasonably expects privacy. FAU is a state university; therefore, its campus is open to the public.

Mike Heistand, senior legal counsel at the Student Press Law Center, explains the gray area of public conversations and their expectation of privacy. “Reasonable expectation of privacy can still apply outdoors, especially in sensitive one-on-one situations where personal questions are asked. Thus, these interactions could be considered private,” said Heistand.

“Secretly recording these conversations without consent raises significant concerns under Florida law, even outside and even on a public college campus,” he said. “It would be up to the District Attorney to decide if criminal charges are warranted, so if a student feels that their privacy rights were violated by this person, they should file a claim with the police.”

At the time of publication, Chief of Police Sean Brammer of the FAU Police Department did not respond to the University Press on whether or not this individual’s actions were illegal. Whether or not these recordings are illegal is hard to identify, Todd Onore, a criminal defense attorney in Broward County, told the University Press.

“The focus is really on the individual being recorded and whether they would expect the conversation was private. College campuses can surely have areas where a person could assume the conversations are private, offices, dorm rooms, and empty classrooms. The setting is most important to consider,” said Onore.

Tripari was shocked to see the video posted online since she didn’t realize their conversation was being recorded. “I also feel uncomfortable with the video because I don’t really like being exposed online like that,” said Tripari.

Tripari said the unknown individual was about six feet tall, black, with curly hair, wearing glasses with a hidden camera, and introduced himself as “John.” Tripari said he was wearing big glasses, which she later realized were the new smart glasses that he used to record the videos.

The individual followed Tripari on Instagram from the account “hyped_john_doe” after the interaction. Since investigating this story, the University Press and its staff have been blocked by both accounts, “hyped_john_doe” and “lustinstaste.” Despite this information, the University Press could not positively identify the individual as he is working under an alias.

The user “lustinstaste” has gained over 50,000 followers on Instagram, more than 59,500 followers on TikTok, and over 600 subscribers on YouTube. His content consists of a recurring regime: approaching and filming women all over FAU’s campus.

During these interactions, the individual approaches the woman unexpectedly and starts the conversation with a compliment, such as calling them “attractive.” He then asks for their name, which he censors in the video, before asking if they have a boyfriend or if he can get their phone number. Tripari told the University Press that this is precisely how her interaction with this individual went.

FAU junior studying international business, Sally Grace Freeburn, said she had a similar interaction when she was walking back to her on-campus dorm after the beach when the individual approached her. Freeburn said she didn’t even realize she was being filmed.

“I told him I wasn’t (single), but he continued and asked for my Instagram,” Freeburn added. “He was pretty friendly but still too persistent, especially after I’d told him I wasn’t single and wasn’t interested. I didn’t know I was being filmed.”

What made Freeburn uneasy was the secretive nature of this interaction due to not realizing it was for a video. She said she had only recently seen the video, and it made her pretty uncomfortable since she couldn’t tell he was filming.

While this incident didn’t affect her overall sense of safety on campus, Freeburn said she did not appreciate being recorded and posted online without her consent.

Cristin Mitchell, a junior studying business marketing, walked on campus on the phone with her mom when the individual started talking to her. The video had 350 likes on TikTok and a thumbnail reading, “POV cute girl rizz.”

“He said ‘I was cute’ and I replied by thanking him and then saying ‘I have a boyfriend’ and walked away,” said Mitchell. She didn’t even realize he was recording since she never saw a camera during the conversation.

“He shouldn’t be going around and filming girls without them knowing, even if he’s technically ‘complimenting’ them,” said Mitchell.

Ava Hilton is the Copy Desk Chief for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email ava.hilton13@gmail.com.