Google Glass Data Protection Concerns

Google Glass is a type of wearable computing in the form of glasses. Google Glass includes an embedded camera, microphone and GPS, with access to the Internet. The Android Operating System powers Google Glass, and third-party applications are currently being built for Glass. To access Glass, a user needs a Google account.

Google Glass has been the subject of many articles that have raised concerns about the obvious, and perhaps less obvious, privacy implications of a device that can be worn by an individual and used to film and record audio of other people. Fears of ubiquitous surveillance of individuals by other individuals, whether through such recordings or through other applications currently being developed, have been raised. Questions about Google’s collection of such data and what it means in terms of Google’s revamped privacy policy have also started to appear.

As you may recall, data protection authorities have long emphasized the need for organizations to build privacy into the development of products and services before they are launched. Many of us have also encouraged organizations to consult in a meaningful way with our respective offices.

To date, what information we have about Google Glass, how it operates, how it could be used, and how Google might make use of the data collected via Glass largely comes from media reports, which contain a great deal of speculation, as well as Google’s own publicizing of the device.

For example, our understanding is that during the beta testing of the product, Google has put in place extensive guidelines for software developers to follow in building applications for Glass (see developers.google.com/glass/overview). These limits appear to be largely related to advertising within Glass. If this is indeed the case, this is a positive first step in identifying privacy issues, but it is only a first step and the only one many authorities are aware of.

According to Google:

• Google commitment to putting users in control extends to the policies we’ve created for developers making applications for Glass, also called Glassware. For example, Google has said for several years that we won’t add facial recognition features to our products without having strong privacy protections in place. With that in mind, Google won’t be approving any facial recognition Glassware at this time. Google also prohibits developers from disabling or turning off the display when using the camera. The display must become active when taking a picture and stay active during a video recording as part of any Glassware.
• While Google asks participants in its Explorer program not to sell or transfer their Glass, users who someday transfer Glass to others will have options for removing their content from the device. Glass displays items like photos, videos, and text messages in a timeline, along with a “delete” option to remove them from that timeline. The “delete” function is one way to remove content from Glass. Also, the MyGlass site and app will give users the ability to disable specific items (including Gmail, Google+, and Now) from Glass and to perform a factory reset, which will wipe all of their data from the device. Users who lose their Glass can likewise make use of these MyGlass site and app features.
• Google has also built some signals into the way Glass is used, with users and non-users in mind. In addition to Glass requiring spoken commands, users touch Glass to scroll through items or press a button on the arm to take a photo or record video — actions that also cause the Glass screen to activate, which is visible to others. These serve to both give Glass users means for employing etiquette in any given situation, and help people understand what Glass users are doing. Some parties may in fact take their own measures to address the use of existing technology — such as cell phones, laptops or cameras — in certain circumstances. Google expects these types of rules to continue to evolve as more wearable technologies come to market.