Stop the Cyborgs!

Update 2021: Stop the Cyborgs website is no longer running

A new campaign group has been set up to "stop the cyborgs" in response to the Google Glass project. For those of you are aren't aware of the Google Glass project here is a quick summary: Glass is basically a futuristic product from Google which puts Google services such as Maps and Google+ along side photography and video capture into a heads up display within a pair of glasses. They feature voice recognition as the user interace so you can ask glass to take a picture, post a status to Google+ or even to video call with someone right from your glasses. This takes mobile technology to the next level. To find out more about Google Glass click here.

So now you have seen Google Glass are you sceptical? Are you fearful of Glass wearers taking video of you in public spaces? If you are then Stop the Cyborgs is a website fot you. It's going to be a huge debate over the potential invasion of privacy when Glass (and similar future products, one assumes) allow wears to record/stream to the internet live video from their perspective. If you are concerned Stop the Cyborgs even offer signage which you can print off to declare your shop/business/cafe etc. a Google Glass free zone.


This may be a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted for privacy campaigners though. Mobile technology has moved at such a fast pace in smart phones that many of the potential privacy invasions already exist. A huge proportion of the population now carry smart phones which are capable of almost all of the features of Google Glass, although if you someone is filming with a smartphone it would be more obvious.

Smart phones are also personally identifiable to the manufacturers and include location data by default. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are constantly allowing your location to be published and some services, such as foursquare, are completely location dependant.  

One of the key concerns on the Stop the Cyborgs website is facial recognition software, but Facebook already does this for pictures that people upload already, although this did cause a stir amongst pro-privacy groups.

As we see the future from todays perspective the technology around may well reduce our privacy but provide will improve our access to information from the internet. The information available will be increasing personalised, local and relevant. Tecnology such as the Nike Fuelband to track your level of exercise and Google Glass to help you get around with directions will be complemented by internet connected cars which take services like Tom Tom's traffic live service and integrate it into your car's dashboard. Smart cars will be able to direct you to a free car parking space in a car park and help you find your destination quickly and easily.

The question is, should Google Glass really be subject to such a negative campaign? Wearable/integrated technology is a progression from smart phones which is not going to be easy to prevent. Comments are welcome below.

Mega.co.nz

Online storage sites are about to be joined by a new player: mega.co.nz. Created by Mega Upload's founder Kim Dotcom (yes that is his real name) the new service offers a huge 50 GB of free space. Kim's previous website Mega Upload was seized by the FBI and closed by the US Department of Justice in January 2012. Mega Upload made money from advertising webpages where it's users shared copyrighted material such as Hollywood blockbusters and chart-topping music.

The new site, Mega, promises to focus of privacy of it's users. Mega encrypts 'on the fly' your uploaded files and Mega has no way to access them. This is a 'turn a blind eye' approach as they still allow users to share links to access these files. These links operate a similar way to the traditional online storage sites, however they include the encryption so that on download the user receives the original file unencrypted.

The question is will users turn to Mega to share copyrighted material in the same way that they did with Mega Upload, or will Mega become a haven for businesses looking to store data on an encrypted service which focuses on the privacy of their users. BlackBerry certainly gained a huge market share as mobile emails took off by focusing on the securing the emails (and BBM) of business executives.

Tips for iOS 5 Location Services

Lockergnome reports on the iOS 5 Location Services use and its effect on battery life. A very useful video with a great set of tips! Here is a link to the original story on Lockergnome's website: Click Here.