As if Google didn’t already have enough to worry about regarding privacy concerns from the public, now a group of international officials have penned an open letter questioning the company on the privacy policies for Glass. Signed by data privacy officials from Canada, the European Union, Mexico, Israel, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, the letter raises a number of questions regarding Glass, even though the device isn’t scheduled to reach the public until next year.
The letter, addressed directly to CEO Larry Page, states: "we are writing to you as data protection authorities to raise questions from a privacy perspective about the development of Google Glass… Fears of ubiquitous surveillance of individuals by other individuals, whether through such recordings or through other applications currently being developed, have been raised." Later in the same message, the group also asks for the opportunity to meet with Google officials to test the device in-person. In a separate statement, Canadian privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said, "Google Glass raises significant privacy issues and it is disappointing that Google has not engaged more meaningfully with data protection authorities about this technology."
This latest call for answers from Google regarding the privacy aspects of Glass comes right on the heels of an earlier high profile demand for answers from the U.S. congress last month. However, it’s worth noting that even early access to Glass via the Explorer program is closed to non-U.S. residents, and the company hasn’t shared a schedule for when it may or may not make Glass available internationally. Therefore, these early privacy concerns from the international community are a bit premature, but may hint that the global community believes Glass could become a mainstream hit.