The Banning of Google Glass Begins

West Virginia legislators proposed a bill on Friday aimed at Google Glass that would ban using a wearable computer with a head-mounted display while driving a car. What’s ironic is Google is building the device to try to distract people less than smartphones already do. But that still may be too much for lawmakers. Either way it’s a smart stunt to get out ahead of upcoming outcry, just like the Seattle bar that preemptively banned Glass.[Source]

The Banning of Google Glass Begins (And They Aren't Even Available Yet)

March 22, 2013

Forbes - A Seattle bar has declared that ‘Google Glass’ (aka Google Glasses)–not yet available to the public–are banned “in advance” from the establishment.

Seattle’s 5 Point Cafe posted a message to their Facebook page saying:

“For the record, The 5 Point is the first Seattle business to ban in advance Google Glasses. And [butt] kickings will be encouraged for violators.” 

Sure, this is partly a tongue-in-cheek pronouncement, and a bit of a publicity stunt, but the owners of 5 Point Cafe are quite clear that they mean it–and there’s little doubt that other businesses will follow their lead.

Speaking to Jamie Griswold, a reporter with MyNorthwest.com, 5 Point Cafe owner Dave Meinert said that in the tech-savvy city of Seattle it’s just a matter of time before Google Glass becomes a regular feature of the city’s social scene.

“The 5 Point appeals to a wide variety of people,” says Meinert. “Some of the tech geeks come here, we’re close by Amazon [...] It’s OK if you wear them. I just don’t want them worn inside.”

His main reason for the ban has to do with preserving patrons’ privacy.

“You have to understand the culture of The 5 Point which is a sometimes seedy, maybe notorious place and I think people want to go there and be not known,” says Meinert, who says patrons of The 5 Point certainly don’t want to be secretly videotaped.

“Part of this is a joke, to be funny on Facebook and get a reaction, but part of it is serious because we don’t let people film other people or take photos unwanted of other people in the bar because it’s kind of a private place people go.” [reported in MyNorthwest.com, March 8, 2013]

What does this mean for the future of Google’s groundbreaking product, set for release by the end of 2013?  Well, at the very least it means that privacy concerns are swiftly taking center stage for the company’s public relations machine.

Beyond that, it may mean very little, since doing things like taking photos and video of people in public places is already possible with virtually any mobile phone 0n the market and has been for years.  The distinction is how covertly Google Glass will enable such privacy encroachments–and that is no doubt an issue Google will need to address in detail before preemptive banning of its product goes viral.

UPDATE:  A Google spokesperson contacted me with the following statement: “It is still very early days for Glass, and we expect that as with other new technologies, such as cell phones, behaviors and social norms will develop over time.”

If you aren’t familiar with Google Glass, watch the video below for a sample of things to come.