There seems to always be push-back against new technologies, sometimes warranted and sometimes not. But it seems like something about Google Glass makes it special, maybe it’s that ability to record someone so easily that really creeps people out. While I think many are blowing the whole Glass vs privacy debate out of proportion (As I can’t see what makes this any more intrusive than someone recording you with a cell phone), there are some who are fighting back – now with their own technology. A piece of software will be used to identify when Glass is trying to connect to a network and stop it, which means Glass won’t be able to access cloud services. The problem I see here is that it seems to me like the software will have to be running on a computer on the network you are trying to connect to Glass with, but if you are just going through your phone carrier’s data connection there would be no need to connect to a local network. The program comes from John Oliver, part of the group called – no joke – “Stop the Cyborgs”.
The new program from Mr. Oliver is not yet available to the general public and he has apparently decided to work on yet another version which can be propagated from your person, disconnecting Glass being used around you from their respective networks. I would be eager to see how this is achieved, but even Oliver advises folks to use it “in extreme circumstances” as it might potentially breach the legal threshold. Frankly, I would guess that most people think privacy is a good thing – including me. But as more devices are created that have recording capabilities, not to mention the growing number of commercial solutions made for the same purpose, I think it is a losing battle to fight. If you suspect someone is recording you with Google Glass I would guess the easiest and best way to get them to stop would be to ask them to stop – or just leave the area. The same way you would react if they were recording you with their phone, or a video camera.
At the end of the day, however, I’m just one man with my own personal opinion. If you feel passionately about stopping Glass, go for it. As for me, I think I’d like to focus on the privacy violations I can’t see (from certain three letter agencies and the like). What’s your opinion? Think Google Glass represents a serious privacy violation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.