Google Glass Prompts Fight in San Fran Bar

Woman claims attack for wearing Google GlassA woman posted on her Facebook page that she was attacked by fellow patrons as a result of wearing her Google Glass in a local San Francisco bar on Friday. Sarah Slocum posted that while wearing the device she was confronted by two women and then had the wearable device ripped from her face by a man.

“OMG so you’ll never believe this but… I got verbally and physically assaulted and robbed last night in the city, had things thrown at me because of some *** Google Glass haters …”

wrote Slocum.

From witness reports, it appears many people were interested and excited to see the new technology in action however others nearing the “last call” expressed concern about being video recorded in public which prompted a fight outside the bar between another man and Slocum’s male companion. Slocum recovered the Google Glass device but was also robbed of her purse and phone, which have not yet been recovered.

It seems apparent that this is not the first or the last report of concerns when individuals wear Google Glass in public, as Google has recently published a “How not to be a Glasshole” guide. Geeks pay heed.

CBS San Francisco

EU regulators urge Google to modify privacy policy, offers 12 recommendations (update: statement from Google)

EU regulators urge Google to modify privacy policy, offers 12 recommendations

It wasn't all that long after Google consolidated most of its privacy policies before people wanted clarification on what this meant to users. Even then, EU regulators weren't satisfied, asking the search giant to hold up a little while it took a proper look at the implications for European citizens. The result of that investigation? Well, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding previously declared it to be in breach of European law, and now the EU is commanding that it be reexamined. The assertion comes in a letter to Mountain View from the EU's data protection regulators, who feel that consolidating so much personal data into one place creates untenable risks to privacy, and was signed by 24 member states (plus Liechtenstein and Croatia). The regulators also outlined 12 recommendations for Google to follow to bring its policy back to the favorable side of the fence. No official word from Google at this time, but we've reached out for comment.

Update: Peter Fleischer, Google's global privacy counsel issued the following statement: "We have received the report and are reviewing it now. Our new privacy policy demonstrates our long-standing commitment to protecting our users' information and creating great products. We are confident that our privacy notices respect European law."

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EU regulators urge Google to modify privacy policy, offers 12 recommendations (update: statement from Google) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: We, the digitally naked

Editorial We, the digitally naked

The iPhone 5. It is taller, and has incremental improvements under the hood, and is shiny. (I'm staying away. Typing on glass is wrong.)

Of more import, the smartphone you carry is more than a communication device; it is potentially a government surveillance enabler. To whatever extent that is the case (depending on whose public pronouncements you believe), latent digital snooping was reinforced on the same day as the iPhone event. Two days after that, Google announced its intention to build a "Do Not Track" option into the Chrome browser, giving users some shielding from a different type of rampant surveillance -- the type that creepily delivers knowingly targeted ads. The two issues differ in seriousness, but are related as privacy concerns. As our mobile and desktop devices get sexier, we become increasingly naked.

Continue reading Editorial: We, the digitally naked

Editorial: We, the digitally naked originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft takes Bing Streetside offline in Germany, privacy complaints to blame

Microsoft takes Bing Streetside offline in Germany, privacy complaints to blame

Germany is notoriously privacy-minded, and services like Facebook's Friend Finder and Google's Street View have come under scrutiny in the country's courts. The latest offender to raise Germany's ire is Bing Streetside, a Street View-style photo service. Microsoft took the feature offline in the country following complaints about how Streetside displays private homes. By default, houses are visible, though Microsoft conceals the images if users submit a complaint. Still, citizens were apparently unhappy with this process, which prompted the company to axe the service while it addresses those privacy concerns. There's always Street View if you need your fix of blurred-out Berlin buildings in the meantime.

Microsoft takes Bing Streetside offline in Germany, privacy complaints to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FBI reportedly pressing for backdoor access to Facebook, Google

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Investigators at the FBI supposedly aren't happy that social networks like Facebook or Google+ don't have the same kind of facility for wiretaps that phones have had for decades. If claimed industry contacts for CNET are right, senior staff at the bureau have floated a proposed amendment to the 1994-era Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) that would require that communication-based websites with large user bases include a backdoor for federal agents to snoop on suspects. It would still include the same requirement for a court order as for phone calls, even if US carriers currently enjoy immunity for cooperating with any warrantless wiretapping. As might be expected, technology firms and civil liberties advocates like the Electronic Frontier Foundation object to deepening CALEA's reach any further, and Apple is thought to be preemptively lobbying against another definition of the law that might require a government back channel for audiovisual chat services like FaceTime or Skype. The FBI didn't explicitly confirm the proposal when asked, but it did say it was worried it might be "going dark" and couldn't enforce wiretaps.

[Image credit: David Drexler, Flickr]

FBI reportedly pressing for backdoor access to Facebook, Google originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 May 2012 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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