What is Google Glass?
Google Glass was definitely one of the technologies that were ahead of its time. Released around 2013, Google Glass is a head-mounted display that could show customers' routes on Google Maps and provided access to Google Assistant in a hands-free format.
But there is a problem...
The concept of having AR/VR integrated eyewear is not news today but it faced major controversy back then. People were stopped on the street when they wore it. Restaurants would forbid customers wearing Google Glass from entering. The most common comment back then was “Don’t be creepy or rude.” Why was that? Why is it more acceptable now?
The Pew Research Center released 10 tech-related trends that shaped the decade in 2019 and number 5 on the list was data privacy and surveillance. Some of this can be attributed to the attitudes of the post-Snowden era.
Snowden leaked highly classified files regarding a global surveillance program that violated national security and individual privacy. This was the first major national event that raised public awareness of personal privacy. Around the same time, Apple was facing a couple of lawsuits with the FBI, who had asked Apple to help compromise the security of suspects’ iPhones. Apple rejected the request, but that series of events left Apple with a legacy of prioritizing privacy and security and reinforced the importance of defending the two on an individual level.
The problem is still there, BUT...
Although consumers have gradually accepted the concept of being filmed at all times, similar smart glasses products like Ray-ban Stories by Meta and Snapchat Spectacles still raise the same type of privacy concerns that Google Glass did. The device can still be hacked and abused by stalkers. There are also good things that came out of taking videos and posting them online. The Citizen app, which sends users location-based safety alerts, also allows users to stream live videos. We live with privacy laws now. It appears in our lives whenever we click on the “Agree” for some website’s privacy statement, under the “Privacy” row of iPhone settings, and much other information social media wants to take from us. It’s an ethical decision for the product owner and user on how to leverage the technology.
It’s unfortunate that Google Glass was a product ahead of its time. Granted, part of the user experience was a little tacky. For example, users have to do a constant side-eye motion in order to see the screen. Although new smart glasses face the same controversy, the public is way more accepting of this new technology. As Google makes a comeback with glasses that translates for you, how will the competition continue in smart glasses?
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