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First arrest captured on Google Glass points to a “Little Brother” future
- guelo 13y agoEverybody nowadays is walking around with high quality cameras in their pockets that can be switched on within a few seconds. Look on youtube for tons of smartphone video of fights, crimes, arrests, etc. I still fail to see how Google Glass changes anything.
- azakai 13y agoWith glass, people do not know they are being filmed, unlike when a cellphone or camera are pointed.
- k3n 13y agoOnly because they don't know what Glass is yet; the same could be said for John Q. Public back when the first cell phone shipped with a camera. Also, it's still possible to film covertly with a cell phone, whether it's rigging it into your clothing somehow, or simply holding it up and pretending to talk on it. Google wasn't even the first to incorporate a video recorder into eyeglasses...
- azakai 13y agoTrue, this is just an incremental change in that direction, but a significant one I think.
- jamesjyu 13y agoEventually devices like Glass will be too small to detect.
- ErikAugust 13y agoRight - and there are already much subtler devices like Memoto (http://memoto.com/ http://memoto.com/) that have been created for the purpose of continuously logging photos. The obvious progression for Memoto, I'd think, is video.
- k3n 13y agoEventually? Although I've not tried them myself, a quick search of the internet pulls up numerous "spy" cameras built into all sorts of things, including eye glasses, that are virtually undetectable. One example I found: http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-2319-dvr290-hidden-camera-glasses-w-built-in-dvr.aspx http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-2319-dvr290-hidden-camera...
- pitchups 13y agoThey do know they are being filmed (or will know once these devices become more common), as there is a red light that flashes on the glass when it is recording. However, that could easily change in the future too - with hidden cameras that constantly record everything becoming more common.
- mitchty 13y agoSo if I put some paint over that light, no more red light while recording. I find the argument that a light will make our privacy ok not all that convincing.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- uptown 13y agoYou sure about that? I haven't tried it in-person, but this description in the "First Encounter" seems to directly contradict what you said: http://blog.launch.co/blog/the-unbearable-wearable-google-glass-is-brilliant-loathsome.html http://blog.launch.co/blog/the-unbearable-wearable-google-gl... How close do you need to be to see the flashing red light?
- Zergy 13y agoNot too hard to point a phone at someone and pretend to text.
- Karunamon 13y agoThe difference between: * Retrieve phone from pocket/purse/backpack * Unlock phone * Launch recording app * Start recording (ensuring phone is in the right orientation) * Hold phone out in front of you in an uncomfortable way so you can both record and see what you're doing. and: * Tap on temple or say "OK glass, record a video" * Look at what you want to record The passivity and ease of access of Glass is its greatest asset, and precisely the reason it's a game changer.. Replace recording with looking up something online, same thing. One feels contrived and annoying (the tech being in the way of what we want to do), the other smooth and natural (the tech just simply doing what we want).
- johnrob 13y agoThe first list is missing one bullet (at the bottom): * Possibly get arrested
- maxmcd 13y agoIf that bullet exists in the first list, it'll eventually exist in the second. Given enough time.
- atwebb 13y agoBut there's another barrier for arrest, you can't tell if it's recording (or if there's a light, people will hack it/cover it). If 8 people around have glass, it'd be fairly difficult to notice all of them, check for the recordings, and take them. I know miniature cameras exist right now but since they only function as a camera, there's not too much utility to always having one around. Glass though has a camera but that's not it's main selling point.
- nateabele 13y agoI don't think the significance of this can be understated. Two reasons: One, I think the act of pulling something off of someone's face is a lot different from pulling something out of someone's hand. It's subtle on the surface, but crossing that kind of social boundary on a regular enough basis could be exactly the tipping point that turns public opinion against law enforcement on a broad scale. Two, as the technology and form factor mature, it'll simply be harder to tell whether something is/contains a camera or not.
- 6ren 13y agohttp://xkcd.com/1235/ http://xkcd.com/1235/
- angersock 13y ago"I still fail to see how Google Glass changes anything." If, after so many discussions and articles and demos and videos, you can maintain this viewpoint, you may just have to accept that you lack both imagination and foresight.
- contingencies 13y agoOr perhaps simply has a more mature view than Silly-Valley's Google-hype "OMG GLASS WTF LOL GIMMEGIMME CATFIGHT PAW DOG LASTCATSTANDING!@#!@#?"
- angersock 13y agoYour theoretical mature view would hopefully be able to better account for the privacy concerns this gizmo raises.
- contingencies 13y agoThe only thing the successful widespread adoption of glass would achieve is the wholesale and largely irrevocable invasion of social space with corporatized audio and video surveillance for the totalitarian state apparatus, thinly masked as techno-fashion. Sure, it might have some other uses, but other than removing the need to hold a screen this is the only thing it really achieves in terms of recording or data access that's fundamentally different from present era devices.
- angersock 13y agoI'd agree with your statement--however, limiting the scope to only be "recording or data access" rather misses the point. The desktop computer from a "processing or data access" standpoint was not very different from the mainframes or minicomputers at the time--indeed probably much stunted!--but the changes it caused were massive outside of that limited scope. The common argument of "Google Glass is no different a surveillance device than a modern smart phone" is so troublesome precisely because it is accurate without having explanatory power--there are confounding features to Glass that go beyond that simple comparison.
- jusben1369 13y agoThink further back. Amount of video produced prior to digital cameras. Increased amount produced with mobile phones. Soon to be increased amount produced with glasses. Each new form factor increased the availability (always have phone) and ease of shooting video resulting in a boom in the amount of video being produced over the prior form factor.
- afreak 13y agoThis sort of reminds me of how Russia and its dash cams have sort of changed how people (such as myself) perceive the act of driving. In the past, dash cams were largely limited to police officers on patrol, but now anyone can put one in their car for $40 and have it set to record as soon as the ignition is turned. Some dash cam videos that have made the news recently include the following: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_ufuY5W7K0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_ufuY5W7K0 (plane crash in Afghanistan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHqFDsKq5DA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHqFDsKq5DA (plane crash somewhere in Russia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66OHiB_p4I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66OHiB_p4I (meteor in Russia) I think that Google Glass will lead to more videos like the one linked and the ones I included. Perhaps we'll eventually have just news dominated by reports by a single individual as opposed to a reporter and a camera man.
- toomuchtodo 13y agoI think that Google Glass will lead to more videos like the one linked and the ones I included. Perhaps we'll eventually have just news dominated by reports by a single individual as opposed to a reporter and a camera man. Yes. Event detection->Video sourcing via location information->Aggregation and distribution. All of that can be automated to occur very quickly.
- will_brown 13y ago>Video sourcing via location information->Aggregation and distribution. Checkout my project at www.ommageo.com (beta) in this space
- karpathy 13y agoOne part that's currently missing from Google Glass and that sets it apart from the dashcam example is the ability to continuously record on a circular buffer, mostly due to constraints in battery life. But once that's possible I would expect many interesting videos to start hitting the internet, as you could essentially save the last x minutes of video to file. A good example of this is the video of the SFO crash landing. It was somewhat unlikely and miraculous that someone just happened to be filming at that time, but in the future there might be tens or hundreds of videos from all the eye witnesses. And not just for this event but any other. It's interesting to think about other repercussions of such technology. From the innocent (such as a large increase in the amount of embarrassing videos on YouTube) to important (such as reconstructing a crime event (think boston bombing)) or scary (blackmail?).
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- darkmighty 13y agoWidespread sousveillance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance) is the path to the right kind of future!
- pekk 13y agoI don't want my snoopy neighbors to be photographing me at every time of the day. I am not doing anything to deserve that level of suspicion. Not even criminals deserve this level of surveillance, it is abhorrent nonsense out of 1984. And we accept it just because we change the 'sur' to 'sous' on the grounds that the government is not allowed to do it? Believe me, if constant personal surveillance in every moment and place becomes generally socially acceptable, there will be nothing to stop 'surveillance'.
- sliverstorm 13y agoThere won't even need to be any surveillance; the gov't can just review the sousveillance footage.
- diminoten 13y agoSure, but we'll see 'em when they do, and then we'll see 'em again when they try to act on the info they've gathered, etc. We'll vote them out of office if they abuse their knowledge, because we'll know they've abused it.
- ryusage 13y agoIf this counts as "Little Brother", then I would argue that we've already reached that point. A year or two ago, I recall seeing many stories of outrage that police were confiscating phones after people filmed arrests. Fights like this get filmed all the time in high schools. Granted, people don't recognize Glass as a film device at the moment, but I'm sure there was a short time where people didn't recognize phones as filming devices either. Once they recognize Glass too, is there any difference? I'm not trying to say that Glass doesn't raise privacy issues, but I think this is a poor/insignificant example.
- recursive 13y agoOnce it gets to the point where data is being uploaded live, it won't matter if the physical device gets confiscated.
- Karunamon 13y agoThis is already possible with phone cams. Apps like QIK and Livestream, even the ACLU has their own. May or may not be possible with the severely underpowered system that's in the dev edition of glass, but that'll only be refined over time :)
- gknoy 13y agoThe only thing keeping me from using this is that video normally includes audio (and,indeed, it's somewhat important for context), but I'm not sure whether California's wiretapping laws (or some other?) would get me in hot water if I recorded someone else's conversation. I'm pretty sure this is a both-sides-must-consent state for audio recording, and I'd not want to have to go to court to claim that things said in public (e.g., when an officer of the law is detaining you, or someone else) aren't private.
- tomkarlo 13y agoIf it's in a public place where there's no particular expectation of privacy - in particular, if you are not party to the conversation but can clearly hear it and are visible to the parties talking - it doesn't seem like it would run afoul of recording laws. The statute applies to "confidential communications" -- i.e., conversations in which one of the parties has an objectively reasonable expectation that no one is listening in or overhearing the conversation. http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/california-recording-law http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/california-recording-law
- diydsp 13y agoIf nothing else, this video confirms what other reality cop shows have long proven: The sure-fire way to avoid arrest is to never take off your shirt :)
- jmadsen 13y agoWhat are the current laws regarding filming people without their consent in the US & other countries? Thinking about: - public vs. private space - minors We have some very specific laws on these things here in Japan, which would (should?) extend to cell phones & camcorders. Google Glass is just one more recording device
- OvidNaso 13y agoIt's my understanding that privacy issues and certain laws have greatly influenced the artificial shutter sounds in digital cameras. Certainly a can of worms is inevitably being opened.
- yk 13y agoUnfortunately these laws are made for vintage cameras, which require (expensive) film. These cameras of yonder years were large bulky devices with exactly one purpose. So you knew if you were being filmed. By contrast already with an iPhone, you do not know if you are filmed, or if the guy with the phone is just looking at a map. It gets worse with Google glass, with them it is easy to film just everything, and decide later if you want to store the video. ( And to make matters worse, there are perfectly legitimate non privacy invading uses for a Google glass camera, like an AR route planner.) So I think that these laws are not much more useful than anti piracy laws.
- leke 13y agoThe bad thing about glass is that you can't tell if you are recording or not. You can't just go and challenge every person at the beach wearing glass, and when it becomes popular, it will be abused.
- _fs 13y agoYou know, seeing this video of google glass is a crowd... We thought iphone thefts were bad? Once people realize the value of google glass, whats to stop a criminal from snatching those off the user's face? An iphone at least has the protection of your pocket. Snatch and grabbing a pair of $1500 google glasses is going to become a major problem.
- TillE 13y agoIt'd be quite easy for Google to lock these down. For example, don't allow a new account to be used on the device until the previous account has been deactivated by the owner. If you don't have the owner's password, it's worthless. In short: make a proper anti-theft system and publicize it loudly. Word will get around, and there will be few thefts.
- Mithaldu 13y agoAs far as i know the glasses are just one part, and there's a fairly bulky computer you'll have to have in your pocket, connected via bluetooth or similar.
- evan_ 13y agoYou should double-check that.
- Karunamon 13y agoIt piggy-backs off of your phone's data connection or wifi - there's no cell radio on it. Unless you're around open hotspots all the time, having a smartphone phone is going to be required. I'd hardly call modern smartphones "bulky" though..
- dfc 13y agoDavid Brin has been predicting/talking about this for over a decade now. Sadly a lot of people are only familiar with his Sci-Fi work, his non-fiction work is equally interesting. http://www.davidbrin.com/transparency.html http://www.davidbrin.com/transparency.html
- wilfra 13y agoI've never seen a clearer demonstration of why you shouldn't say a word to the police if you ever come in contact with them. Those kids unwittingly admitted to crimes when explaining to the police what happened, and were arrested on the basis of things they said. If they had just shut up and asked if they were under or arrest or if they could leave, they all would have walked away.
- waps 13y agoThat's a very cynical view, isn't it ? That was a correct arrest. Sure if you regularly commit crimes, never cooperate any more than the law requires with anyone, least of all the police or anyone in official function, as any criminal lawyer will tell you a million times. IANAL, but that's probably good advice.
- thomasjoulin 13y agoRelevant : Don't Talk to Police (especially if you're innocent) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc
- coldpie 13y agoEverybody in the United States needs to watch this video. Thank you for posting it.
- glogla 13y agoSure. Problem is when things are crimes but are not wrong. If the guy in the linked "don't talk to police" video is right, everyone in the US is commiting felony every day. But are they doing something wrong?
- Detrus 13y agoYea a little brother future won't change these cases for most people. If everything is recorded you won't have to say anything to the police, you'll be arrested anyway.
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- chrischen 13y agoActually, if Google Glass catches on, we would all become knowing video subjects. I'm not sure what the author is complaining about. Right now I can buy a pinhole camera and start recording people and they would genuinely not know it's happening. If I had Glass, people would at least know.
- gunmetal 13y agoThe battery on Glass works for about 1.4 hours, probably shorter if you were continuously recording.
- muuck 13y agoI think it is just a matter of time before we see
- muuck 13y agoI think it just a matter of time we see the first movie of a fist being planted on the face of a glass wearer. Agressive people who notice that the are being recorded often direct their anger to the person with the camera.
- yenkta 13y agoYesterday I was watching helplessly innocent person getting beaten up by some goon. I could have easily recorded a video and uploaded some where. Is there any other alternatives like a tiny camera I could attach to my glasses(not Google glass)?.
- contingencies 13y agoLittle brother? What a farce. Let's be a bit more realistic here. The hardware and software for truly synthesizing the vast quantity of video based data will not be either totally cheap or available to the general public for their benefit. More likely, it will be used to re-affirm and enforce the monopoly of power of the state (when outside) and/or corporations (when at work/school/play). Surveillance breeds totalitarianism. Everpresent surveillance breeds total totalitarianism. Noam Chomsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1AImQ5jqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz1AImQ5jqA
- Mordor 13y agoLittle brother or big brother? If this data is captured by the NSA, then Google Glass is an erosion of civil liberty.
- goggles99 13y agoThe publicity of Google Glass must be what is causing this uproar right? I am assuming this because video camera glasses have been around for 15-20 years. There have been HD ones which look much less conspicuous than Google Glass ones for at least 5-6 years. They are currently under $200 (I don't own any, I just have seen them here and there and looked it up).
- Techasura 13y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6005249 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6005249 and nobody cared about it.
- CoryG89 13y agoOh yeah, this couldn't have possibly been captured with one of the millions of cell phones capable of recording in HD. We're all doomed now that they stuck it on a pair of glasses.
- d23 13y agoSure, and the iPod won't change anything. People can already use their walkman to play tapes wherever they want. Why would they need an iPod? People don't walk around with their phones out in the air recording everything because it isn't convenient. The more widespread this gets and the ease with which we are able to store every second of video has very obvious privacy implications.
- leke 13y agoI wonder if the police will be more paranoid about witnesses videoing them doing their job in the future? Well, how do you like nothing to hide, nothing to fear now?
- mncolinlee 13y agoThis reminds me clearly of "A Scanner Darkly." That is Phillip K. Dick's prophetic novel where a surveillance grid consisting of half of the population, the scanners, spies on everyone else. "Whatever it is that's watching, it's not human, unlike little dark eyed Donna. It doesn't ever blink. What does a scanner see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does it see into me, into us? Clearly or darkly? I hope it sees clearly, because I can't any longer see into myself. I see only murk. I hope for everyone's sake the scanners do better. Because if the scanner sees only darkly, the way I do, then I'm cursed and cursed again. I'll only wind up dead this way, knowing very little, and getting that little fragment wrong too."