Comic XKCD Nails Google Glass Critics (Especially Congress)

insight-xkcdEveryone has an opinion about Google Glass. Some fears are fit since, as a culture, we don’t have a primitive story of amicable practice always throwing adult to record (see: loud-mouth cellphone users). But, as XKCD points out, this doesn’t pardon us of a right to contend something intelligent and offer a reasonable trail brazen as we fundamentally impetus towards heads-up arrangement record in some form. By distant a misfortune delinquent of question-only critique has come from a U.S. Congress Privacy Caucus, that sent a passive-aggressive list of queries directly to CEO, Larry Page [PDF].

“Because Google Glass has not nonetheless been expelled and we are capricious of Google’s skeleton to incorporate remoteness protections into a device, there are still a series of unanswered questions that we share,” wrote 8 congressmen, along with a email of an partner that Mr. Page could conveniently contention his answers to.

Some of a questions were already publically answered (which, ironically, could have been found out with a elementary Google search). Google has no short-term goal of regulating facial approval technology. They have it, though scrapped adding it as a underline for Glass.

Other questions like “has Google deliberate creation any additions or refinements to a remoteness policy?” have an apparent answer: yes, of march they deliberate it.

As The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart points out (below), a problem with exploiting insinuation, rather than specific analysis, is that it permits anyone to impugn anything but evidence. “If what you’re observant is true, if a boss let Americans die for domestic reasons, then, by God, move us a justification and we will squeeze a pitchforks and torches along with you.”

The Onion had a possess gem poking fun of question-hyped criticism, slamming a Obama administration for not vocally condemning a apparently self-existent “Basilisk Project”:

“Perhaps a boss hopes to shun a dignified implications of carrying authorised a Basilisk Project to work underneath his nose, desiring that his hands are clean. Or maybe Mr. Obama is anticipating that a American people competence indeed trust he was somehow unknowingly of a Basilisk Project altogether. Then again, maybe you, “President” Obama, are, indeed, a puppet here. Which begs a question: Just who is pulling your strings?”

In many instances, Google can’t answer for things that haven’t happened yet. Glass is an elaborating technology. It’s already been hacked to personally record bystanders, so there’s legitimate concerns. But, critics can’t bruise their chest in open with a idle list of questions.

As Jeff Jarvis points out, local governments were mulling bans on technology, during slightest given a Kodak camera. Teddy Roosevelt quickly banned cameras in Washington parks. Yet, Kodak, like cellphone cameras, haven’t caused a privacy apocalypse fear-mongerers imagined.

Congress has an ability to emanate inhabitant headlines, either they contend anything judicious or not. With this good energy comes good responsibility. Congress should reason themselves to a aloft customary and not be available to instil indiscretion but any actual evidence.

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