It’s really not the same. One of the biggest issues with Glassholes was that it wasn’t clear they were wearing something unusual at first sight, especially from certain angles. That you didn’t know you were being recorded didn’t help, and I’m guessing that the Quest 3 isn’t secretive about that like Google Glass. But even if it is, I think everyone is going to do their best to avoid the guy walking around with that thing strapped to their head.
There’s no external indication when someone is recording the passthrough footage on the Quest 3.
It’s a Meta device, I’m sure it’s ALWAYS recording. Whether or not the used keeps the recording is another matter.
So if the person is wearing one, just assume it’s recording and facial recognition is occurring in post.
Although it’s white LED on the front of the headset instead of the expected red. It’s seems like a dumb choice by some design team going for aesthetics over functionality. And if you’re trying to surreptitiously record people there are a million easier, less obtrusive ways to do it that don’t involve strapping a giant and expensive headset to your face.
From what I remember Google glass had an indicator when it was recording, people just assumed it doesn’t and/or it’s always recording
That’s correct. The indicator light was pretty obvious.
I always found it fascinating how upset people get about the idea of a novel device recording them without permission, but it is a complete non-issue that a familiar device (the common smart phone) could also record them without permission with less of a chance of them noticing.
Yep, there were issues with it, but none of the reactions were based on actual issues and only because people just didn’t like it.
Fun fact: there were already glasses which looked more normal and were able to record you without any indication at all and so much cheaper too. Not so fun if you are on the receiving end tbf.
Quest 3 isn’t secretive about that like Google Glass.
It’s a VR headset that provides the user with a live video feed, it records 100% of the time. If the cameras stop recording, the person wearing it would be blind.
Meta has another set of glasses that have an optional recording function, along with an LED indicator as well as a check to make sure that the LED isn’t covered.
Gargoyles represent the embarrassing side of the Central Intelligence Corporation. Instead of using laptops, they wear their computers on their bodies, broken up into separate modules that hang on the waist, on the back, on the headset. They serve as human surveillance devices, recording everything that happens around them. Nothing looks stupider; these getups are the modern-day equivalent of the slide-rule scabbard or the calculator pouch on the belt, marking the user as belonging to a class that is at once above and far below human society.
– Snow Crash, by Neil Stephenson in 1992.
On the one hand I’d love a HUD which could, for example, remind me of the names of people I’d met before, or notes like ‘remember to talk to fred about his shrubbery’. Or tell me which shops I’m looking at are open, or give me directions to my destination… or random shit like the name of the plant I’m currently looking at. You can do some of this with a phone but in-vision is so much more useful IMO.
OTOH the people capable of creating such technology are meta, google… and I don’t trust them one bit.
Yeah, this. And I don’t need a fully immersive experience for that. Like, Glass had enough for that - a camera for facial recognition, a screen for info. You could do the same if you mounted a camera on an earbud and put the display on a smartwatch.
I don’t want Augmented Reality, I just want a dashboard/status bar for real life. A little screen in the corner of my view would solve that.
I, too, long for the future (a century from now, if the world weren’t burning) of an actually useful augmented reality that didn’t continuously advertise at me.
Apple is likely going this way as well. And honestly? I’d be down. I’d be paying an arm and a leg, and I wouldn’t have as much access as I’d like, but I know my data would be safe*. You can fault Apple for a lot of things, but they don’t fuck around with privacy, going as far as to reject the demands of the FBI to open up the phone of a dead terrorist.
*: Assuming Apple doesn’t 180 on its stance for privacy.
Meanwhile I still feel weird taking photos of inanimate objects in public spaces in case someone thinks I’m creeping on them.
I’m like this too. Unless it’s obvious I’m taking photos of my dog, I feel really weird about it. I like taking photos of random things I find interesting or pleasing to look at while we’re out for walks. Like a random forgotten plushie, or a nice tree, or the lake, or a rock, or a stump. Anything really. If there’s people around though, I tend to not pull my phone out because it feels invasive.
I think the most impressive thing about them is that they’re just “point and shoot” photos with my phone. I’m not a photographer, but it’s easy for me as just a regular user to take photos that are decent enough to have printed and framed. It’s even more fun to see what actual photographers, who master technique and have an eye for subjects do.
I can’t imagine living life too scared to do the things that I value. You’re in public. Sack up
I don’t worry that people will think I’m creeping on them, but I worry that they’ll find out what I’m taking a picture of and either be weirded out or laugh at me. I don’t know why that bothers me because I wouldn’t care if it actually happened.
Nothing awkward at all about just randomly holding your arm out to watch TV while walking around the world. Sounds like a very relaxing experince having everyone stare at you while in an elevator.
And if someone doesn’t want to be recorded, they have to explain “Don’t worry, it’s just Facebook that’s watching.”
Legit gross behavior.
And if someone doesn’t want to be recorded, they have to explain “Don’t worry, it’s just Facebook that’s watching.”
In America at least, anywhere in public is fair game for recording. You have no expectation of privacy (from being seen) out and about in the world anyway, and that applies to recordings as well.
Should it be this way? I’m honestly torn. But the long and the short of it is, if you’re somewhere that doesn’t expressly forbid video recording, assume you’re always on camera. Because you likely are.
Yup, though that doesn’t mean those recordings can necessarily be legally published or used for anything except private use. Clearly it’s not the case in most of the US, or people just don’t care to enforce it, but in many parts of the EU you can get in serious legal trouble if you do upload it in a way where people can be recognized, especially if what you release can count as defamation. Show someone freaking out or breaking the law in Finland, and you will be the one getting the fine.
In America, the first amendment covers things like video recordings as well. As long as you’re in public, anything you can see is fair game. Even if you’re recording into private space (this doesn’t count for things like flying drones up to windows or anything of course.)
There are limitations, but if you’re standing on a public road recording into even highly secure military bases, you’re legally in the clear.
Recording while on private property is different of course. Even if you’re recording public property from that private property, you can be in legal hot water.
Though I’m curious on the EU law about defamation… how can you defame someone by sharing a video of their public actions? Like, you’re saying that if I recorded you kicking a dog in the head in a public park, and posted it to TikTok without your consent, I’d be breaking the law?
Yes, Facebook is disgusting, as is Google and other large tech companies; but that’s just a bad take. You’re already being recorded by CCTV pretty much everywhere you go in public. The issue isn’t and shouldn’t be about being recorded, but instead about what is being done with the recorded data. I know that security tapes are going to be overwritten after some period; tech wants to feed all their data into advertising profiles and AI.
