In the past Google has had a history of collecting unauthorized personal data from Wi-Fi networks by the company’s Street View cars which led to an $7 million settlement with US states and fines overseas. Following the marvelous innovations of Google Glass, privacy concerns have only grown louder since the project’s introduction last year. The Congressional Bi Partisan Privacy Caucus today wrote a letter to CEO Larry Page asking the CEO to clear up once and for all “whether this new technology could infringe on the privacy of the average person.”
The caucus asks Page “how Google plans to prevent Google Glass from unintentionally collecting data about the user” without permission. Non-Glass wearers (i.e. those in the camera’s path) are also addressed; Potential facial recognition capabilities are also a concern; the congressmen want to know if Glass is (or will be) capable of recognizing individuals and whether the public will have a way of opting out of such analysis. Further, the caucus asks Google to detail the types of
user information it’s pulling in from Glass, along with any changes to Google’s privacy policy that have been considered as Glass evolves into a consumer-facing product.
