Google Glass and Surveillance Culture 318
Nerval's Lobster writes "Tech journalist Milo Yiannopoulos asks the question lurking in everyone's mind about Google Glass. 'It's an audacious product for a company no one trusts to behave responsibly with our data: a pair of glasses that can monitor and record the world around you,' he writes. 'But if Glass becomes as ubiquitous as the iPhone, are we truly to believe that Google will not attempt to abuse that remarkable power?' With each new eyebrow-raising court judgment and federal fine levied against Google, he adds, 'it becomes ever more clear that this is a company hell-bent on innovating first and asking questions later, if ever. And its vision, shared with other California technology companies, is of corporate America redefining societal privacy norms in the service of advertising companies and their clients.' He feels that Google will eventually end up in some sort of court battle over Google Glass and privacy. Do you agree? Does Google Glass deserve extra scrutiny before it hits the market?"
Re:minority report (Score:3, Interesting)
It takes an army of one (Score:5, Interesting)
The problem with this technology - if indeed it does feature "always on" data capture - is that it takes just one person in a crowd to ruin it for everyone else.
You are at an event with a large crowd. Some of the behaviour in this crowd may be illegal (concert goers smoking marijuana for example) or at least frowned up by the authorities (dissidents gathering to protest). There is an unwritten rule amongst the participants that no one will film or take photos due to the nature of this group behaviour.
At this point, it takes just one person wearing Google Glass to break the unwritten rule. Most of the participants will be oblivious to the presence of the glasses. Yes this could happen with a handheld camera or similar, but the camera is outwardly very obvious. Goggle Glass is designed to blend in with the wearer and the surroundings.
Hyperbole? Perhaps. Do you want to find out? I certainly don't.
Peace,
Andy.
How to kill Google Goggles (Score:5, Interesting)
Provide a few key apps, and wearing Google Goggles will be made illegal.
law enforcement agencies (Score:4, Interesting)
How would you feel if I told you every police officer would be wearing these in a couple years coupled with apps that recognize faces and search databases?
Attend a rally for any cause and every law enforcement agency knows.
That's what I'm worried about.
This coming from a british writer. (Score:2, Interesting)
Who's country records and uses against him every fucking move he makes outside his house. Something most British seem to be pretty cool with so why in the word would he give damn about google?
Re:Not a problem (Score:2, Interesting)
No, I think one can extrapolate some assumptions about how Glass will be used.
1) It will be used to spy on women.
2) It will be used to spy on children
3) It will be used in other creepy ways where one expects some level of privacy or respect.
Consider how easy it will be to modify this thing from a pair of glasses to a wearable spy camera with built in internet connectivity.
Sure not everyone will use it this way, but there WILL be some people that will use it in this way.
To say, "Hey, lets debate the merits of a device after its released" just speaks to a highly naive view of society and reality. I think one can apply rationality and reason to something that has not hit the market and identify the areas of its abuse.
Imagine if only people applied some rationality and reasoning when they invented nuclear fission rather than dealing with the aftermath.