The Downsides of Google Glass

Advantages aside, Google Glass raises significant safety, security and privacy issues.

Negative reactions to Google have been making headlines lately :

A Google Glass user has been questioned in an Ohio Theatre for suspected piracy. The user was detained and questioned for hours but said that the device wasn't on. The gadget was actually also a pair of prescription glasses, that he had to wear in order to watch the movie but the recording function of the glasses had been left inactive. This unfortunate event brings back to the table the question about Google Glass potential illegality. Indeed, many people think that the device presents a risk of assisting copyright infringement. A Motion Picture Association has also claimed that action had to be taken to fight against camcording.

A few months before, a Google-Glass wearing driver has been pulled over by a cop and was issued a ticket for driving with the device on. The device was classified as a distraction much like a smartphone or other monitor. The woman has then decided to bring the case to court. Illinois is already considering explicitly banning Glass behind the wheel.

A Seattle entrepreneur has been fighting against people wearing Glasses in his Café and has recently expelled a customer who refused to remove his Google Glass inside the Café. A group calling itself Stop the Cyborgs offers free anti-glass icons and art on its site for businesses that want to notify customers the technology is not allowed. State and federal lawmakers have also expressed privacy concerns about the technology and are keeping an eye on it. 

Many casinos have also banned wearable computer screens as they fear they could be used to cheat and count cards.

While there may be some old fashioned technophobia at play, many criticisms come from members of a tech generation that embraces smartphones and tablets. So what is it about Google Glass that justify such strong reactions?

Google Glass is out of people's control

People actually feel that Google Glass is out of their control. They are not able to make a decision as to weather they want to be connected through someone else's device. People feel in control when they are using their own device, but Google Glass feel more like an invasive surveillance. People more and more tend to give up on privacy on social networks and through other ways, the choice is their choice. Google glass looks more like an intrusion in people's privacy and even though they want to give up on their privacy, they want to be able to do it on their own terms and conditions.

One of the main concerns people have about Glass is that it is difficult to tell when the device is recording you. When you compare this to a smartphone, it's really easy to notice that someone is recording as he would have to point the phone in the subject's direction and hold up the device. Wearable devices like Google Glass are always pointed and ready to record. Moreover, early users claim that they wear the device everywhere and post pictures of themselves in the shower or in bed - Apps have been developed to record and share your point of view with each other. This goes far beyond sexting and sex scandals when nobody knows wheter or not they are being watched, no matter what they are doing. There is no external indicator light showing that the device is recording, but the current version of Glass wouldn't last more than an hour in a recording mode and it's very easy to find out if the screen is on or off if you want to know.

Another concern is the collection of big data that these devices allow. A massive amount of data can be uploaded from phones and wearable devices to Google services, cloud-based storage or social media. The issue is not the device itself but the ownership and control over the data.

Early adopters say using Google Glass is a literal headache

Recently, some early users admitted not wearing the device anymore, because they were facing skull-crushing headaches.

They all thought at the beginning that it wasn't related to the device, but when they started talking to other Explorers they found out that they were not alone and that the headaches were definitely correlated with wearing the device. Some of them started leaving the device off their face most of the time and realized that they didn't miss it that much or that at least that it wasn't worth the headaches.

As for Google, the company say that the risks of using Glass are no different from getting glasses for the first time, or any other wearable item that changes one's habits. The company has been working with eye care professionals from the very beginning to ensure that the device is safe for use.

Wearable technologies like Google Glass are still in its early stages and manufacturers hope that the devices will be seen as normal and become as common as smartphones. Until then, explorers and early users will have to deal with both positive and negative reactions.