Google Glass: five places to avoid wearing high-tech specs
As Google Glass finally comes to the UK, cinemas are not the only ones considering a ban
Google Glass has been banned in UK cinemas just a week after the gadgets finally went on sale in Britain. The spectacles, which allow the wearer to read emails, record videos and access the internet via a display positioned above the right eye, have provoked a range of concerns from copyright and privacy to safety and simple good manners. Cinema operators fear they will be used to make pirated copies of their films, although Google say the fact that the screen lights up whenever it is activated makes it "a fairly lousy device for recording things secretly". Nevertheless, cinema owners are not the only people considering bans. Here are five places to avoid wearing the high-tech specs:
At the cinema
The Cinema Exhibitors' Association, which represents UK cinema operators, has said customers will be asked to take off Google Glass in cinema auditoriums whether the film is playing or not. The Independent points out that Google Glass batteries power down after 45 minutes of continuous recording, making it unlikely anyone could capture an entire film, but it could be used to put together multiple recordings. With the current price tag of £1,000, cinemas are unlikely to be inundated with people wearing the headsets just yet.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the car
The Department for Transport has indicated that drivers could face a penalty for wearing Google Glass, as they do if they use a mobile phone while driving. Google has reportedly been asked to look at ways that drivers could use Glass without posing a danger on the roads, such as by restricting the information it displays while the car is moving.
In strip clubs
Several strip clubs in the US have already banned Google Glass. Peter Feinstein, managing partner of Sapphire Gentlemen's Club in Las Vegas, told NBC News that they are quick to stop people taking videos and pictures on their phone, asking them to check their phones in. He believes that Google Glass will begin to replace the mobile phone as the tool of choice for covert recording, but he says his club will enforce a zero-tolerance policy. "If they don't want to check it, we'd be happy to give them a limo ride back to their hotel," he says.
In a casino
Casinos in the US have introduced rules to stop gamblers from using high-tech specs, in case they could be used to cheat. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issued an advisory to the industry warning that Google Glass could be used in a poker game to "broadcast a patron's hand to a confederate or otherwise used in a collusive manner".
In toilets and changing rooms
The ability to record people without their knowledge with the stroke of a finger or a voice command has prompted privacy concerns. Nick Bilton in the New York Times said the "future came crashing down" on him as he stood at a bathroom urinal at a Google I/O developer conference alongside several men wearing Google Glass. Toilets and changing rooms are unlikely to face widespread bans on the headsets, but a spread in the technology might require some tweaks to 21st-century etiquette.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'This needs to be a bigger deal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
DOJ seeks breakup of Google, Chrome
Speed Read The Justice Department aims to force Google to sell off Chrome and make other changes to rectify its illegal search monopoly
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Google Maps gets an AI upgrade to compete with Apple
Under the Radar The Google-owned Waze, a navigation app, will be getting similar upgrades
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is ChatGPT's new search engine OpenAI's Google 'killer'?
Talking Point There's a new AI-backed search engine in town. But can it stand up to Google's decades-long hold on internet searches?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'Stunningly lifelike' AI podcasts are here
Under the Radar Users are amazed – and creators unnerved – by Google tool that generates human conversation from text in moments
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Will the Google antitrust ruling shake up the internet?
Today's Big Question And what does that mean for users?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why is the tech industry up in arms about Google's search algorithm leak?
Today's Big Question A leak of about 2,500 documents shed light on how Google's search engine operates, and not everyone is happy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How AI is going to change the Google search experience
Talking Points Summaries are the new links
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published