As shoppers spend more time with Meta’s new Quest 3 augmented reality headset, some are pushing the envelope by recording bystanders without consent. These “glass holes” evoke privacy debates from a decade ago with Google Glass.
Early adopters film strangers wearing Meta’s AR glasses
Over the weekend, early adopters of Meta’s Quest 3 headset began posting videos recorded through the headset’s pass-through cameras instead of virtual games. While AR’s capabilities are impressive, users like Jay Mayo, Kukurio59, and Cix Liv recorded people in public spaces like comic conventions, elevators, and coffee shops without permission. Its light-hearted filming reflects the controversial “glass hole” culture around Google Glass years ago.
It’s okay, don’t be angry. But someone had to do it.
I walked into a cafe in mixed reality. pic.twitter.com/WSJEMWuG00
-CIX (@CixLiv) October 16, 2023
Cafe owner ignores intrusion
Cix Liv filmed themselves ordering coffee at Fiddle Fig Cafe in San Francisco with the AR headsets on the entire time. But the cafe’s co-owner, Ray Ng, told me that Liv only wore the headphones briefly and that she didn’t actually drink coffee with them on. Ng agreed to the coffee being shown and wasn’t too bothered by the stunt. Still, the video may encourage similar antics by attention-seeking early adopters. Additionally, you can also read an article on 10 Best Augmented Reality Apps for Android to Explore the World in a New Way.
Headphone design obscures recording
Unlike Meta’s Ray-Ban Stories glasses, the Quest 3 lacks clear guidelines on how to film strangers in public. Its white recording light is subtle and always on, making it difficult to know when someone is capturing you. My wife couldn’t tell if she was filming her with the bulky headphones. Meta may need to better indicate the recording to avoid negative public reactions.
Has our definition of privacy changed since Google Glass?
Given the ubiquity of smartphone cameras today, we may tolerate AR recording more than we did during the Google Glass era, when companies banned headsets. But Meta should still provide guidance to prevent invasive use, or risk having its new “glass holes” face similar rejection as before.
You may be interested: Meta’s AI chatbots come to Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp
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Categories: Technology
Source: vtt.edu.vn