Google mythbusting various privacy concerns surrounding Glass
Ever since Google Glass was first announced, there have been those who have decried it as the end of all privacy, which of course is hyperbolic nonsense. But, the trouble is that when something is repeated enough, people start to believe it. So, today, Google is trying to mythbust the top 10 misconceptions that people have concerning Google Glass.
The post on Google+ makes many good points, like mentioning that Glass' very conspicuous placement on your face and its short battery life make it a pretty bad tool for spying or surveillance. There are a couple times where Google compares Glass to a cell phone, stating that social norms have sorted out when and where cell phones are appropriate, just as they will with Glass. And, also noting that when the camera was first invented, it was claimed to lead to the death of privacy. The post specifically addresses facial recognition, and says that Google is not allowing it on Glass "regardless of technological feasibility", since we all know that facial recognition works perfectly well.
Unfortunately, for all of the good points put forth in the post, the overall tone is troubled. The post starts out light-heartedly mentioning other urban legends, but the tone quickly gets defensive and even borders on hostile a couple times. It sounds quite a lot like the person at Google who crafted the post had simply had enough of the myths and wrote this from a place of anger, but tried to mask it with some off-hand jokes (something we know about first hand around here).
Still, it's a good read for those concerned about the privacy issues that surround Glass. It's hard to imagine that this response from Google will make much headway with those who have already decided that Glass is evil, but it's good to have the official word to point to when trying to address concerns.
source: +Google Glass
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