How many times do you think you’ve been caught on camera today? These days a lot of people try to avoid thinking about the fact that we are being recorded almost everywhere we go. Whether we’re standing in front of an ATM to get some quick cash, ordering at a fast food joint to fix a case of the hunger pains or even just getting on an elevator to move up one floor of a hotel, we’re caught on recording devices at almost all times during our lives.

According to a recent study cited by Fox News, the average big-city resident is caught on camera 75 times a day. Sometimes we even unknowingly shine the spotlight on ourselves. With smartphone apps like Snapchat and Instagram, photos of people are posted on the Internet everyday without their subjects’ permission. Another thing that’s been in more recent media is the use of hidden recording devices.

Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is a prime example of someone who has been subjected to a hidden recording system. Over the past weekend you might have heard that Sterling’s girlfriend, V. Stiviano, recorded a conversation between herself and Sterling in which Sterling allegedly displayed racist comments and ideals. The recording was leaked on TMZ and Sterling was ousted to the public as a possible horrific figure.

Sterling owns an NBA franchise, and most of the players in the franchise’s league are African-American. With this job title, Sterling should never have said the things he did, nor should people of good character in general. The one thing you can say for him, if anything, is that he fell victim to something none of us can plan for in our everyday lives: being caught doing something we thought no one would find out about.

We’ve all done something when we thought no one was looking that we would never do in public, and that’s what Sterling did when conversing with his girlfriend. It’s probably safe to assume he would not have said this in a broadcasted interview.

I’m not condoning what Sterling did — his actions were crude and wrong and he should pay for having his hand caught in the jar. What’s scary to think about is what this situation may say about the future.

What if more people start recording conversations when people aren’t expecting them to? This could become a trend where people are exposed for expressing everyday thoughts among people they thought they could trust. Privacy may be something we have given up in our desire for technology, but are we willing to accept that as a society?

The situation is an all-around bad one. The Sterling recordings not only exposed racist tendencies in our everyday lives, but they stole the spotlight from what has been one of the most enjoyable National Basketball Association postseasons I can remember. Add in the fear of losing one’s right to privacy and or freedom of speech, and it begs the question: How can anything good come out of this situation?