WASHINGTON — The co-founder and CEO Periscope says drivers should avoid hosting live-streaming sessions while behind the wheel.
In a panel discussion in San Francisco, hosted by Muck Rack, Kayvon Beykpour addressed the question of people holding court while driving. I’d tweeted about it earlier Tuesday.
I’m disturbed/amazed that people think it’s safe/interesting to host a @periscopeco or @AppMeerkat while they’re driving.
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) July 21, 2015
With the growth this year of apps that let a mobile phone user easily broadcast video to followers on social media, some have chosen to mount phones on their dashboards and attempt to livestream while driving.
Beykpour responded to my question, which was relayed by Elyssa Rae, (Disclosure: an Edelman public relations account executive and friend) on what he thought about people who use the app while driving.
Beykpour clearly doesn’t like the idea.
“Listen, I think you should be careful,” Beykpour told the audience. “I’m not going to sit here and endorse it.”
The dangerous behavior isn’t limited to Periscope, or Meerkat, or other streaming apps.
“A lot of people use their phones for a variety of things, including texting and taking pictures,” says Beykpour.
It’s not only people driving motor vehicles engaging in the risky activity.
Beykpour said earlier in the day he and his coworkers were riding in an Uber, and almost collided with a bicyclist who was taking selfies while riding.
“There is a cultural thing around driving and broadcasting,” says Beykpour. “There’s a cultural thing about dash cam broadcasting in Russia.”
Beykpour says driving videos have been posted on YouTube for years.
“As where Periscope stands on it, we’d just say ‘be safe,'” said Beykpour.
