With all the hype over wearable technologies projecting us into the future, it can be easy to forget how "touchy" these devices are when it comes to copyright and privacy. According to Business Insider, some places have already banned Google Glass.
Bars, theaters, and music venues may have good reason to turn away the device since recording video, taking photos, and sharing them all online seems to have gotten a whole lot easier with just a wink or a click with Glass. Even though these issues have already been discussed with the advent of the camera phone, some people feel like their privacy will be further compromised with wearable technologies. This concern isn't anything new, however. According to Richard Chalfen, people were suspicious of photography and privacy even when it first appeared generations ago. Will people get used to these devices?Check out this 2014 statistic from the PewResearch Internet Project showing U.S. views on technology: "53% of Americans think it would be a change for the worse if most people wear implants or other devices that constantly show them information about the world around them."
Bars, theaters, and music venues may have good reason to turn away the device since recording video, taking photos, and sharing them all online seems to have gotten a whole lot easier with just a wink or a click with Glass. Even though these issues have already been discussed with the advent of the camera phone, some people feel like their privacy will be further compromised with wearable technologies. This concern isn't anything new, however. According to Richard Chalfen, people were suspicious of photography and privacy even when it first appeared generations ago. Will people get used to these devices?Check out this 2014 statistic from the PewResearch Internet Project showing U.S. views on technology: "53% of Americans think it would be a change for the worse if most people wear implants or other devices that constantly show them information about the world around them."
Permissions are also a concern for wearable technologies. "The production, distribution, use, and circulation of digital materials always involve issues of intellectual property--sometimes trademark issues, but almost always copyright issues," according to James Porter. If there are tight restrictions on wearable devices once they hit the mainstream, how will we be able to tell our stories while respecting privacy and copyright? Will we just get used to these ideas, or will we push back on these devices that are promoted to be the future of technology? |
Sources
Arthur, C. (2013). "Google Glass: Is it a threat to our privacy?" The Guardian.
Chalfen, R. (2014). " 'Your panopticon or mine?' Incorporating wearable technology's Glass and GoPro into visual social science." Visual Studies. 29(3), 299-310. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1472586X.2014.941547
Levy, K. (2014). "A surprising number of places have banned Google Glass in San Francisco." Business Insider.
Porter, J. (2009). "Recovering delivery for digital rhetoric." ScienceDirect, 29(3), 207-224. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2009.09.004
Smith, A. (2014). "U.S. views of technology and the future." PewResearch Internet Project.
Arthur, C. (2013). "Google Glass: Is it a threat to our privacy?" The Guardian.
Chalfen, R. (2014). " 'Your panopticon or mine?' Incorporating wearable technology's Glass and GoPro into visual social science." Visual Studies. 29(3), 299-310. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1472586X.2014.941547
Levy, K. (2014). "A surprising number of places have banned Google Glass in San Francisco." Business Insider.
Porter, J. (2009). "Recovering delivery for digital rhetoric." ScienceDirect, 29(3), 207-224. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2009.09.004
Smith, A. (2014). "U.S. views of technology and the future." PewResearch Internet Project.