Google has clarified its position on face recognition applications by saying it will not allow them to run on Glass until strong privacy-protection measures are in place.
A facial recognition app would be able to pull up someone’s name, social-media profile and Google search results just by looking at them while wearing a pair of the smart glasses.
In a blog post, Google wrote: “We’ve been listening closely to you, and many have expressed both interest and concern around the possibilities of facial recognition in Glass.
“As Google has said for several years, we won’t add facial recognition features to our products without having strong privacy protections in place. With that in mind, we won’t be approving any facial recognition Glassware at this time.”
The company also updated its Google Glass developer policies to reflect the change.
“Don’t use the camera or microphone to cross-reference and immediately present personal information identifying anyone other than the user, including use cases such as facial recognition and voice print,” the document says. “Applications that do this will not be approved at this time.”
Politicians were reported to be concerned, with both the US Congress and the Australian parliament asking for clarification from Google about the capabilities of the new system.
