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Put a hinge on the camera and display module; flip it up towards the sky to turn Glass off. Down it's on, up it's off. Give wearers a simple, clear way to comm

by pash 12y ago

Put a hinge on the camera and display module; flip it up towards the sky to turn Glass off. Down it's on, up it's off. Give wearers a simple, clear way to communicate that they've turned Glass off when it's inappropriate to have it on and at least you'll ensure that Glassholes are a subset of assholes. (There's not much you can do about the assholes.)

cseelus 12y ago
I thing what people bugs most about Glass is the fear to be taped all the time without consent and without even noticing it. Glass should be clearly signaling when its filming/streaming via a hardwired LED or something, so that it is obvious when someone is filming and when not.
- jerrickhoang 12y ago
  when you're recording something the light is turned on and it's very noticeable.
  - falcolas 12y ago
    The light seems to turns on for a number of reasons, which makes it an unreliable indicator. I watched a googled give a talk (on privacy) with his google glass on, the display lit up about 20 different times throughout his talk.
- wyager 12y ago
  You can, of course, always remove/unwire the LED if you're that desperate to discretely film people.
- threeseed 12y ago
  It's not even just the fear of being taped. But I imagine there would be a very strong correlation between those who wear Google Glass and those are technically astute. Which then leads you to think they would put that video on the internet somewhere. A lot of people don't wan't their drunken, embarrassing moments on the internet. It can affect relationships, career, etc.
- hhsnopek 12y ago
  Since the video cameras were made, people have known that they're being taped. You know that almost all buildings have security cameras, or that they're being taped by a tourist, weather they know it or not. The public is just not seeing the full picture, I could honestly, before Glass came out, recorded people with a camcorder or security camera. Also... If people are worried about others seeing how they act in public, then they need to fix how they're acting. A picture can mean a thousand words, but a video be chapters of your life. Choose how you want to have your book written, don't make bad decisions.
- throwaway271828 12y ago
  Anecdotally, the Glass team had a large internal battle about exactly this: half of the team wanted a hardwired LED indicating when it was recording, the other half of the team didn't. Supposedly the debate grew so heated that it fractured the team completely, and the half that lost mostly transferred onto other Google X projects, like Loon.
  - MichaelGG 12y ago
    That sounds silly,unless they were going to do a test of the LED in order to activate the camera. Otherwise people determined to record could just break the light. It's not like there isn't a ton of spy cams available anyways.
    - r00fus 12y ago
      It's all about good intentions - assholes who want to record without permission will still exist, but the vast majority would not enable that hack, unless it was socially acceptable to do so. I think the LED lost out because then it would look all too much like the Borg.
      - MichaelGG 12y ago
        So what's gained by hardwiring an LED versus forcing it via software? The stuff I saw has a front light fairly clearly.
    - harlanlewis 12y ago
      Hardwired LEDs for cameras are common, precisely to prevent what you describe. Laptop cameras have their own processors, memory, and software, and if the light doesn't turn on then the camera won't turn on. This isn't just so others can know when your device is recording them, it's for you to know when your own device is recording you. Of course, it can still be hacked. http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/12/perv-utopia-light-on-macbook-webcams-can-be-bypassed/ http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/12/perv-utopia-light-on...
      - 12y ago
negativity 12y ago
This concept is useless because it relies on an honor system. It should be painfully obvious by now, that honor systems cannot be trusted to preserve privacy. Google Glass is the Crystal Pepsi of the internet. It's only interesting in that it represents a definite violation of ordinary, common, everyday privacy, but stands out as one boundary that certain interested parties are determined to invade.
- XorNot 12y ago
  ...uh no? If the camera is physically not pointed at you, it can't record you. It's clear and concise. EDIT: My exact thought on this subject has been that the camera needs a mechanical shutter. But I'd say thinking of Glass like sunglasses is probably also the way to go - a way to "take it off" without having to take them off (i.e. like when you put your sunglasses on your heard to talk to someone indoors).
  - tritium 12y ago
    I think the failure of this idea starts with the assumption that it's perfectly reasonable to have a trigger-happy camera constantly at the ready, strapped to your forehead, "just in case" but "trust us because we swear we won't point it at you in your most compromised, yet entertaining moment" only everyone else.
    - psbp 12y ago
      This sounds exactly like the bygone panic over cameras on mobile phones.
    - pavement 12y ago
      But, ma'am, I swear these mirrors on my shoes aren't for looking up ladies skirts. I just have them because I'm in a gang and I need to check underneath my car for car bombs every morning.
  - andrewflnr 12y ago
    It can still record sound, which may be just as significant in the right (or wrong) circumstances.

by pash 12y ago

cseelus 12y ago

I thing what people bugs most about Glass is the fear to be taped all the time without consent and without even noticing it. Glass should be clearly signaling when its filming/streaming via a hardwired LED or something, so that it is obvious when someone is filming and when not.

jerrickhoang 12y ago
when you're recording something the light is turned on and it's very noticeable.
- falcolas 12y ago
  The light seems to turns on for a number of reasons, which makes it an unreliable indicator. I watched a googled give a talk (on privacy) with his google glass on, the display lit up about 20 different times throughout his talk.
wyager 12y ago
You can, of course, always remove/unwire the LED if you're that desperate to discretely film people.
threeseed 12y ago
It's not even just the fear of being taped. But I imagine there would be a very strong correlation between those who wear Google Glass and those are technically astute. Which then leads you to think they would put that video on the internet somewhere. A lot of people don't wan't their drunken, embarrassing moments on the internet. It can affect relationships, career, etc.
hhsnopek 12y ago
Since the video cameras were made, people have known that they're being taped. You know that almost all buildings have security cameras, or that they're being taped by a tourist, weather they know it or not. The public is just not seeing the full picture, I could honestly, before Glass came out, recorded people with a camcorder or security camera. Also... If people are worried about others seeing how they act in public, then they need to fix how they're acting. A picture can mean a thousand words, but a video be chapters of your life. Choose how you want to have your book written, don't make bad decisions.
throwaway271828 12y ago
Anecdotally, the Glass team had a large internal battle about exactly this: half of the team wanted a hardwired LED indicating when it was recording, the other half of the team didn't. Supposedly the debate grew so heated that it fractured the team completely, and the half that lost mostly transferred onto other Google X projects, like Loon.
- MichaelGG 12y ago
  That sounds silly,unless they were going to do a test of the LED in order to activate the camera. Otherwise people determined to record could just break the light. It's not like there isn't a ton of spy cams available anyways.
  - r00fus 12y ago
    It's all about good intentions - assholes who want to record without permission will still exist, but the vast majority would not enable that hack, unless it was socially acceptable to do so. I think the LED lost out because then it would look all too much like the Borg.
    - MichaelGG 12y ago
      So what's gained by hardwiring an LED versus forcing it via software? The stuff I saw has a front light fairly clearly.
  - harlanlewis 12y ago
    Hardwired LEDs for cameras are common, precisely to prevent what you describe. Laptop cameras have their own processors, memory, and software, and if the light doesn't turn on then the camera won't turn on. This isn't just so others can know when your device is recording them, it's for you to know when your own device is recording you. Of course, it can still be hacked. http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/12/perv-utopia-light-on-macbook-webcams-can-be-bypassed/ http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/12/perv-utopia-light-on...
    - 12y ago

negativity 12y ago

This concept is useless because it relies on an honor system. It should be painfully obvious by now, that honor systems cannot be trusted to preserve privacy. Google Glass is the Crystal Pepsi of the internet. It's only interesting in that it represents a definite violation of ordinary, common, everyday privacy, but stands out as one boundary that certain interested parties are determined to invade.

XorNot 12y ago
...uh no? If the camera is physically not pointed at you, it can't record you. It's clear and concise. EDIT: My exact thought on this subject has been that the camera needs a mechanical shutter. But I'd say thinking of Glass like sunglasses is probably also the way to go - a way to "take it off" without having to take them off (i.e. like when you put your sunglasses on your heard to talk to someone indoors).
- tritium 12y ago
  I think the failure of this idea starts with the assumption that it's perfectly reasonable to have a trigger-happy camera constantly at the ready, strapped to your forehead, "just in case" but "trust us because we swear we won't point it at you in your most compromised, yet entertaining moment" only everyone else.
  - psbp 12y ago
    This sounds exactly like the bygone panic over cameras on mobile phones.
  - pavement 12y ago
    But, ma'am, I swear these mirrors on my shoes aren't for looking up ladies skirts. I just have them because I'm in a gang and I need to check underneath my car for car bombs every morning.
- andrewflnr 12y ago
  It can still record sound, which may be just as significant in the right (or wrong) circumstances.