Google glasses prompt personal privacy fears

Google Glass, a high-tech pair of spectacles with in-built hands- free video camera and internet access, has already raised privacy fears because it can record video far less conspicuously than a handheld device and could make it difficult for people to know when they are on camera.

Drew Olanoff, reviewing Glass for the Techcrunch website, said: “In its current state, Glass is a utility that allows you to do some of the things that your smartphone does now. The difference with Glass is that you can do these things hands-free, quicker than before and in a less socially disruptive way.

Nick Pickles, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: “Google Glass doesn’t just challenge our assumptions about consent, it challenges whether we even have a choice any more.