With Google Glass having made its first official appearance in the UK, privacy concerns have once again been flagged up and acknowledged by senior technology authorities.
Last week’s arrival of Google Glass in the UK went exactly as expected – tech heads were thrilled, casual observers oblivious and a fair few others up in arms over privacy concerns. Or in other words, pretty much the same reception the gadgets got when they first started appearing in the US.
Well, the good news for any and all Brits bothered by the presence of Google Glass is that the ICO has now gone on-record to remind those playing with their new toys not to cross the line when it comes to privacy. It’s a pretty low-key and informal reminder admittedly, but it at least goes to show that just like the US, the UK is taking Google Glass related privacy concerns seriously.
Under the banner of “Wearable technology – the future of privacy” Senior Technology Officer Andrew Paterson acknowledges public concerns and issues a friendly call for common sense.
“There is an important debate to be had around the privacy implications of wearable technology and it will ultimately be for society to decide how comfortable they are with wearables,” he wrote.
“However like any new technology, wearables must operate in compliance with the law,”
“If you are using a wearable technology for your own use then you are unlikely to be breaching the (Data Protection) Act. This is because the Act includes an exemption for the collection of personal information for domestic purposes,”
“But if you were to one day decide that you’d like to start using this information for other purposes outside of your personal use, for example to support a local campaign or to start a business, then this exemption would no longer apply.”
Google Glass hasn’t yet been in the UK for long enough to gauge the large-scale response to the technology, though so far everywhere Google’s wearable has made an appearance, controversy hasn’t been too far behind.