When Google Glass came onto the market in 2013, wearers were derided as “glassholes” and the product flopped. But 13 years later, smart glasses are going mainstream, with Kmart’s recently launched $89 version quickly selling out.
These budget smart glasses are similar to higher-end models offered by Meta and Ray-ban: wearers can subtly record photos and videos, and listen to music or podcasts. But they also come at a cost to privacy – to the wearer, and everyone they encounter – and now the Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has asked Australia’s privacy commissioner to urgently review the technology.
What does the law say? Can current privacy protections handle this new wave of face-mounted computers? The short answer is yes, according to tech law experts Kimberlee Weatherall and Milica Stilinovic – although the existing laws are a bit all over the place.
Nevertheless, we now face the prospect of living in a world full of constant low-grade recording devices. Rather than expect people to negotiate this by themselves, a better approach would be to require all consumer products to be private by design.
Another looming tech issue is the ongoing rise of data centres. We’d love to hear your questions about them as we prepare to launch an in-depth series.
