Lawmakers Target Google Glass

Lawmakers say that Google Glass make it easy to spy on others and worry that the new hands-free device would let wearers watch videos while driving

Although it won't be for sale until next year, lawmakers are already lamenting the danger of Google Glass.

There are some serious safety and privacy hazards in a hands-free device that takes photos and plays video, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Already a West Virginia legislator introduced a bill last week prohibiting the use of Google Glass while behind the wheel saying it would a danger on the road. 

“I can see the problem with someone driving down the road and watching a YouTube video or dictating a word document, and there is nothing in our code to cover it,” state Rep. Gary Howell told the Science Monitor. “Let’s get a discussion started on this.”

Google Glass, Google's wearable computer glasses, allow users to snap photos and record videos as well as share them. Federal legislators are also eying the eye wear to see if it will  infringe on privacy, especially if it uses facial-recognition software.

“A lot of people are excited about Glass, but I don't think people are excited about a situation where a stranger can identify them, by name, by simply looking at them on the street,” Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, said in a statement.

Security and privacy experts say that Google should create safeguards on its use. A new website has also sprung up to protest the device, StoptheCyborgs.org.

Google Glass is a cool device in theory, but its consequences are not straightforward. Will the new device log all humans it sees into a huge database? Can drivers watch episodes of "Parks and Recreation" while commuting to work? So far, there aren't any laws to prevent either.

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