Google Glass a Necessity

Is Google Glass a Necessity? 1

Is Google Glass a Necessity?

Steve K. Tu

George Mason University

IT 103 - Section 004

February 24, 2014

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Introduction

Google Glass is not a necessity for an average person's everyday life. Even though,

technology keeps evolving and people keep researching to find new innovations. Many devices

and gadgets are becoming smaller and more compact to save space and for the ease of

transportation. A terabyte now can be compressed into the size of a thumb drive which didn't

seem possible 10 years ago and now there's a new development in technology called the Google

Glass. Google Glass is a computer device worn like spectacles "that positions a tiny screen close

to the eye, enabling users to search the Web, send and receive e-mail, navigate with GPS, and

take photos and video using voice commands (Walker, 2014).

Technology is suppose to make our lives more simple and efficient but Google Glass is

not necessarily a necessity for everyone. For the same reason why elementary school children

don't need laptops, iPads, or a smart phone except for the sole reason for emergency phone calls.

When Google Glass becomes affordable to the masses, it could become a new technological

frontier like the iPhone or just simply a temporary fad.

Security Concerns

There are many security concerns with Google Glass that people are afraid of which may

lead to devastating issues in the future. One security concern is what Google Glass is actually

capable of when it used in an ill-formed manner. Google Glass has the power to not only record

video but to make it a live feed as well so, that someone else can see exactly what the person

with Google Glass is seeing, in first person view and give instructions for either good or bad

purposes. The situation is identical to a spy movie except it is reality and that many business

realize this danger which is the reason why banks have banned the use of Google Glass in their

premises (McEvoy, 2013).


The second biggest concern for security is the information that Google Glass can collect

and how it can be controlled to protect ourselves. Due to cloud computing, security risks have

risen but there have not been many attempts to enable mobile security (McEvoy, 2013). Google

Glass is not any different from the Internet, smart phones, and tablets when it comes to sharing

information. We are in a day of age where we can almost find information about almost anything

or anyone if you look hard enough for it. Therefore, one solution for companies and businesses

to keep their data safe is to practice being more aware of threats within the actual organization

(McEvoy, 2013). Ever since, the Edward Snowden incident, where an employee stole an

enormous amount of top secret U.S. documents and fled the country (McEvoy, 2013).

Organizations should keep a keen eye on technological gadgets that many employees use for

potential threats including the upcoming Google Glass (McEvoy, 2013).

Legal Issues

Google Glass is banned in many places and is considered a dangerous distraction when

driving. An American woman named Cecilia Abadie had been the first person to face charges

for wearing Google Glass when driving a vehicle ("Google Glasses," 2013). When Cecilia

Abadie got pulled over by the police for distracted driving and speeding, she denied that the

Google device had been turned on. ("Google Glass," 2013). Whether the person had Google

Glass powered on or not, the main priority should be preventing people in the future from

wearing Google Glass when operating a vehicle. Losing focus on the road and being distracted

when driving can and will lead to disastrous events.

It only takes one mistake in less than a blink of an eye to for your life or for someone

else's life to end. Yet, driving when distracted is common because many people try to multi-task

when they are on the go to save time and to be more efficient. An abundant amount of people


have the mindset that they have the power and skills to do many things all at once without having

their full attention on the road. The same mindset is shared by people who text when driving,

sleepy or drunk. Although, Google Glass is a hands free device. Distraction usually occurs when

a person's mind is in deep in thought and then all of a sudden, the person subconsciously stops

whatever they were doing (Norman 2013). Another prime example is when a person daydreams

in class and does not respond when someone is talking to them because their mind goes blank for

a moment. Therefore, four states in America have banned Google Glass and other wearing

technology when driving (Gilman, 2013). Google Glass is also banned in many theaters,

hospitals, banks, and classrooms to protect businesses and to keep information confidential

(Gilman, 2013).

Ethics

One of the biggest issues Google Glass has to face is the invasion of privacy and how it

can be misused by others. For example, if a person was casually having dinner with a friend.

Another person with Google Glass sitting nearby could easily eavesdrop on their conversation

and video record the other party without them even noticing (Farber, 2013). Spying on someone

using the Google device is not as obvious as having your smart phone out and pointing the

camera toward the direction of person you want to record and listen to. Google Glass enhances

the abilities for stalkers, creepers, and other mischievous people ("Bloomberg view," 2013). The

device makes it easier to gather information easier by taking photos and videos more secretly

without being acknowledged ("Bloomberg view," 2013). The worst thing is, you don't know

have any control of what they are going to do with that data because it will be in Google's cloud

servers available to everyone especially hackers ("Bloomberg view," 2013).


The other concern with privacy associating with ethics is the applications that Google

Glass will produce in the future. There is an application called Insight for Google Glass

developed by researchers from Duke University that has the ability to help find people in busy

areas including concerts, school, and other highly populated areas (Farber, 2013). The Insight

application uses information from "clothing colors, body structure, and motion patterns as

fingerprints to identify people" (Farber, 2013). Despite the new fascinating abilities of modern

technology, another person could create an application for Google Glass that can "take pictures

of people without their permission, apply advanced facial recognition, and create a database of

visual fingerprints linked to financial and shopping data that can indicate to salespeople which

customers in the store are the best prospects" (Farber, 2013). Although the facial recognition

function can be useful, it will lead to dire results compromising the privacy of others.

Social

When Google Glass becomes available to the masses, not everyone will accept it with

open arms besides the early adopters. Many people in the past were afraid of the telephone,

cellular phones, and other new technologies; out of the fear that it would socially cripple society

(Farber, 2013). A good example is that a lot of people are in their comfort zone chatting to

another person behind a computer screen but cannot do so in real life social situations. Which

leads them to be socially awkward, unable to be empathetic and unable to read basic body

language from others.

Other fears consist of the "danger of addiction, the decline of traditional interactions, and

the loss of interest in taking part in social activities" or having no social etiquette to others

(Farber, 2013). With that being said, a lot of these fears have already taken place in our present

day society. There are so many people who are addicted to Facebook and other social media


content, that they are distracted from what is truly important in real life. One example would be a

person texting or playing a game with their smart phone while walking across an intersection

without looking for vehicles in both directions (Gilman, 2013). Yet it could be a bigger

distraction with Google Glass, since the person will be paying attention to an image right in front

of their eye to check the weather, e-mail, and other functionalities that are available (Gilman,

2013).

Benefits

Depending on how Google Glass is used, the device brings a lot of benefits to society as

well. In Alabama, a surgical team used Google Glass with "VIPAAR which stands for Virtual

Interactive Presence in Augmented Reality that provides real time, two way, interactive video

conferencing " to perform a successful surgery on a patient ("University Of," 2013). The two

components combined together allowed two surgeons to see exactly what the other surgeon was

doing while performing surgery despite them both being in two separate locations at once

("University Of," 2013). VIPAAR and Google Glass can be used in the future to "teach new

skills to residents while enhancing patient safety and outcomes without having an expert in the

same location" ("University Of," 2013). Also since Google Glass is a hand free device, it will not

get in the way of using instruments when performing surgery or other medical operations.

Being a hands free device is probably the biggest characteristic of Google Glass that

differentiates itself from other technological gadgets like the smart phone or a tablet. Using voice

commands, you can do everything you do on your smart phone and more; without having your

hands occupied. This characteristic is very convenient because you can "see something,

instantaneously shoot it and more quickly than a smart phone, and then share it to a network"


(Walker, 2014). Google Glass could also be considered "as a powerful and revolutionary

innovation for photography" as well (Walker, 2014).

Conclusion

Whether Google Glass becomes just a new fad or a revolutionary change for society, humans and

technology will keep evolving and we have to keep adapting for better or for worse. The main

point is that people should not be over dependent on technology especially on simple tasks that

require little effort. It reminds me of a scene in the Pixar movie Wall-E where humans in the

future become morbidly obese and lazy because everything is done for them by robots. This does

sound like propaganda or a one sided view of Google Glass but in life everything revolves

around balance especially with our limited time and energy. It's really up to the user on how they

use Google Glass whether it impacts their life for better or for worse.


References

Bloomberg view: Who's afraid of google glass? (2013, Jun). Business Week, , 16-n/a. Retrieved

February 24, 2014 from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1418430170?accountid=14541

The magazine article first introduces Google Glass and its basic capabilities. Then it

explains the ease of Google Glass invading the privacy of others without being

acknowledged. The write also explains how all the data acquired from Google Glass will

be stored on cloud servers which is vulnerable for hackers and how privacy policies

should be introduced to protect everyone.

Farber, D. (2013, March 13). Google glass and the third half of your brain. Retrieved February

24, 2014 from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57573966-93/google-glass-and-the-

third-half-of-your-brain/

The writer first introduces the anxiety and fear of some people toward new technology,

scared that it might hurt society in the long run. Then he explains what Google Glass is

capable of and the backlash it may have on people including taking invasive photos and

videos of other people secretly. The biggest point of the article is the application Insight

which has the ability to identify people in a crowd when presented with the right kind of

data.

Gilman, R., APR, & CMP. (2013). Is google glass A passing fancy? Property & Casualty

360, Retrieved February 24, 2014 from


The writer explains how some people will welcome or be cautious of Google Glass and

goes over the many places where Google Glass is banned including movie theatres, banks,


hospitals, and classrooms. The other interesting topic that the write introduces is

insurance of Google Glass because of the everyday distractions which may lead to danger

and injury to the user.

Google glasses driver charged with distraction. (2013, Dec 05). Daily Mail. Retrieved February

24, 2014 from


The article brings up the first person ever to be charged with wearing Google Glass while

driving because it is considered a distraction. The woman charged denies the device was

even turned on and will attend court in January 2014.

McEvoy, C. (2013, Sep 24). Employees' gadgets A security weak link only some companies

restrict google glass, iPhones, flash drives. Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved February

24, 2014 from


The article explains how people inside a company or business can steal private important

information just by using a small flash drive and other technological gadgets. The writer

brings up the Snowden incident where a man steals top secret data using a thumb drive

and flees America. The main objective is that organizations should be more conscious

about their security.

Norman, D. (2013, Sep). The paradox of wearable technologies. Technology Review, 116, 101-

103. Retrieved February 24, 2014 from


The writer explains how distracting Google Glass can be which could lead to disastrous

outcomes whether it be driving, walking, or other tasks. The article talks about how


easily a person can lose focus on what they are doing just by having deep thoughts or

having their mind on something else. Google Glass also takes us away from the priorities

of life according to the writer because we are already distracted with little things like

social media.

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM DOES VIRTUAL SURGERY WITH

VIPAAR AND GOOGLE GLASS. (2013, Oct 30). US Fed News Service, Including US

State News. Retrieved February 24, 2014 from


This article shows the real positive difference Google Glass has on society especially in

an area of medicine. Google Glass is combined with VIPAAR which provides two way,

live interactive video conferencing. Two surgeons perform a successful surgery with one

surgeon in a complete different location giving instructions to the other also with the

ability to see exactly what the other surgeon is seeing when performing surgery. This is

only possible with the aid of Google Glass and VIPAAR which has the ability to save

countless lives in the future and diminish medical mistakes.

Walker, D. (2014). Google glass: A teaching tool and a street-shooting device. Photo District

News, 34(1), 28-28,30. Retrieved February 24, 2014 from


The writer explains how Google Glass is not as secretive as most people accuse it is when

it snaps pictures and records video. The article also speaks of the benefits of Google

Glass including the ease of taking pictures and videos simultaneously without using your

hands and how it can benefit street photography.

Documents

Google Glass a Necessity