Is 'People Staring at Computers' performance art or criminal act? [video]

That's the question for you to answer after watching the video above, looking and pics from the linked tumblr blog and reading this post, of course.

According to what Mashable claims is an exclusive report, the Secret Service raided the home of artist Kyle McDonald earlier today. The video above made the tech news this week, and now the computers producing it are gone -- confiscated in the raid.

Last month, McDonald installed software on Macs in Apple Stores to capture screenshots of shoppers and even employees. This week he posted a video and photos and also set up exhibitions inside two Apple stores.

"During the unauthorized event at the Apple stores on West 14th Street and in Soho, when people looked at an Apple store machine, they saw a picture of themselves", Sarah Kessler writes. "Then they saw photos of other people staring at computers. Amazingly, nobody made a fuss".

Well, perhaps Apple fussed, given McDonald's unexpected Secret Service search and seizure today.

What do you think? Should McDonald's work be considered art protected by the First Amendment? Or did he go too far by secretly taking peoples' pictures? Please answer in comments and take poll below.

Update 2:07 p.m.: Poll added.