When Google Glass was first unveiled at Google I/O in 2012 it immediately caught the world’s attention. There was curiosity and fascination about this seemingly futuristic product. Then followed concern which lead to intense debate. Glass has sparked a fervent privacy debate, given that its so easy for someone to record or photography anyone without their knowledge or consent. Apart from that, there are concerns related to data privacy as well as security. Research firm Toluna recently surveyed people and asked if they would be willing to wear Glass in public. 72 percent were against the idea, and also said that privacy concerns could stop them from buying the gadget altogether.
While people are worried about data security, the biggest concern appears to be related to being on the other side of Glass. People really don’t want to be secretly recorded. Moreover, the people who took the survey also said they were afraid of wearing it in public as it would be too distracting. They could get distracted by notifications etc and may end up walking onto a busy street or falling down a manhole.
One of three people also said that they were afraid of getting mugged if they wore Glass in public. While the survey looked at the U.S. exclusively, one can be certain that similar sentiments exist in other markets as well. These are only some of the challenges Google has to face and potentially be answerable for when it publicly releases Google Glass.
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