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Google CEO: You won't 'collapse in terror' because of Google Glass

Google CEO Larry Page says that Glass privacy concerns will blow over in the same way that smartphone cameras worries did.
Written by Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer

Google CEO Larry Page believes that the future public reaction to Google Glass is comparable to smartphone use.

The Google chief assured investors at an annual shareholders meeting that when the product takes off, privacy worries will fade. Page thinks when people start using the headset, they will not "collapse in terror that someone might be using Glass in the bathroom," -- in the same way the general public don't worry about smartphone use in public areas.

A shareholder raised concerns that the eyewear is "a voyeur's dream come true." In response, Page took a quick poll and found almost everyone present had a camera-equipped smartphone. Although it would be more difficult to tell if someone was secretly taking footage of you in comparison to holding up a camera phone, the chief executive said Google has "taken pains" to safeguard privacy.

Google announced last week that facial recognition capabilities will not be allowed in applications being developed in time for the wearable technology's release later this year.

"We won't add facial recognition features to our products without having strong privacy protections in place. With that in mind, we won't be approving any facial recognition Glassware at this time," an online message sent to software developers stated.

Google Glass is only available to developers and "explorers" who have paid $1500 for prototypes. The device is able to take images, record audio, send messages and perform other tasks including social networking and surfing the web through voice activation.

Read More: AFP

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Image credit: Google

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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