5 ms·

I still don't understand why nobody is talking about the legal and social issues around the video recording capabilities of the Google Glasses. Which so far loo

I still don't understand why nobody is talking about the legal and social issues around the video recording capabilities of the Google Glasses. Which so far looks like its only real use case. It is illegal to record someone without permission in particular on private property. It is illegal to record children. There are major implications if illegal activity is recorded. Are you responsible if you don't notify police about a crime. Then there are the myriad of social concerns. If you record me and for privacy reasons I want the video erased how can I do so ? Or am I forced to remove the glasses from your head and destroy them? Just like smartphones are required to make a noise when taking a photo I wonder whether there should be a red LED light to indicate when recording is occurring or a button to erase the last 5 minutes of video.

kenjackson 14y ago
Just like smartphones are required to make a noise when taking a photo I'm pretty sure that just about every smartphone allows you to mute the shutter sound.
- taligent 14y ago
  Not on iOS IIRC. And it definitely is a law that ALL smartphones make that sound in many countries e.g. Japan, South Korea.
  - veidr 14y ago
    On my Japanese iPhone (and all Japanese phones) the sound cannot be disabled; on my American iPhone, it can.
  - raldi 14y ago
    iPhones in vibrate mode make no shutter sound.
    - wahnfrieden 14y ago
      Not in Japan.
  - Permit 14y ago
    My Nokia Lumia most definitely does not make any noise when taking a photo.
  - kyro 14y ago
    Just took two pictures in two different camera apps on iOS and not a peep.
- wahnfrieden 14y ago
  In the US, maybe.
ratsbane 14y ago
I don't think that's entirely correct, at least in the United States. As far as I understand the law, it IS legal to videorecord people, children and otherwise in public places with or without their permission and on private property under some conditions. I'm certainly not a legal expert and I would be interested in seeing any citations that might prove this wrong. Here are a few sources I found on the web: http://communications-media.lawyers.com/privacy-law/Child-Photography-or-Videotaping-Consent-Laws-Are-Changing.html http://communications-media.lawyers.com/privacy-law/Child-Ph... (note that according to this, in the state of Georgia and possibly New Jersey it may now be illegal to photograph children who aren't your own) http://www.uvu.edu/wrs/trainingmaterials/recording.html http://www.uvu.edu/wrs/trainingmaterials/recording.html
- taligent 14y ago
  So ignoring the fact that the US has far more lax privacy restrictions than many other countries. It would still be illegal then to record audio without consent and record video on private property, wherever a sign has been displayed or in places like public bathrooms. Which again begs the question. Nobody seems to care then that it would be illegal to use the device for its current intended purpose.
  - tantalor 14y ago
    As devil's advocate, I doubt the intention is to record other people's conversations, in fact quite the opposite since everything is recorded. The real question is, when an incriminating conversation is recorded, which would otherwise be inadmissible, would a court allow it? I suppose yes because the recording is accidental, not intentional.
BitMastro 14y ago
Do you have a LED light on when you're recording a video with your phone? Some countries mandate it, others don't. Do you find it weird that nobody is talking about issues involving the recording capabilities of cellphones? In public, by law, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy. In private, it's up to you to deny entry to someone using recording devices. If he's your friend and you are ok with it you let him in, otherwise you ask him to remove the glasses, exactly as you would do with someone with a camera. And, as with a camera, the intent is what matters.

kenjackson 14y ago

Just like smartphones are required to make a noise when taking a photo I'm pretty sure that just about every smartphone allows you to mute the shutter sound.

taligent 14y ago
Not on iOS IIRC. And it definitely is a law that ALL smartphones make that sound in many countries e.g. Japan, South Korea.
- veidr 14y ago
  On my Japanese iPhone (and all Japanese phones) the sound cannot be disabled; on my American iPhone, it can.
- raldi 14y ago
  iPhones in vibrate mode make no shutter sound.
  - wahnfrieden 14y ago
    Not in Japan.
- Permit 14y ago
  My Nokia Lumia most definitely does not make any noise when taking a photo.
- kyro 14y ago
  Just took two pictures in two different camera apps on iOS and not a peep.
wahnfrieden 14y ago
In the US, maybe.

ratsbane 14y ago

I don't think that's entirely correct, at least in the United States. As far as I understand the law, it IS legal to videorecord people, children and otherwise in public places with or without their permission and on private property under some conditions. I'm certainly not a legal expert and I would be interested in seeing any citations that might prove this wrong. Here are a few sources I found on the web: http://communications-media.lawyers.com/privacy-law/Child-Photography-or-Videotaping-Consent-Laws-Are-Changing.html http://communications-media.lawyers.com/privacy-law/Child-Ph... (note that according to this, in the state of Georgia and possibly New Jersey it may now be illegal to photograph children who aren't your own) http://www.uvu.edu/wrs/trainingmaterials/recording.html http://www.uvu.edu/wrs/trainingmaterials/recording.html

taligent 14y ago
So ignoring the fact that the US has far more lax privacy restrictions than many other countries. It would still be illegal then to record audio without consent and record video on private property, wherever a sign has been displayed or in places like public bathrooms. Which again begs the question. Nobody seems to care then that it would be illegal to use the device for its current intended purpose.
- tantalor 14y ago
  As devil's advocate, I doubt the intention is to record other people's conversations, in fact quite the opposite since everything is recorded. The real question is, when an incriminating conversation is recorded, which would otherwise be inadmissible, would a court allow it? I suppose yes because the recording is accidental, not intentional.

BitMastro 14y ago

Do you have a LED light on when you're recording a video with your phone? Some countries mandate it, others don't. Do you find it weird that nobody is talking about issues involving the recording capabilities of cellphones? In public, by law, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy. In private, it's up to you to deny entry to someone using recording devices. If he's your friend and you are ok with it you let him in, otherwise you ask him to remove the glasses, exactly as you would do with someone with a camera. And, as with a camera, the intent is what matters.