Google Glass runs into trouble over privacy standards

Google Glass, the high-profile and much hyped wearable computing device from software giant Google Inc, has run into trouble over its privacy standards.

Officials from six nations - Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Israel and Switzerland -  have jointly sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page seeking answers to questions about the gadget's privacy safeguards.

Google Glass connects wirelessly to a smartphone using Bluetooth technology and the wearer sees the functions as 'visions'. These 'visions' play in front of the eyes of the wearer sans a physical screen.

However, with smarter apps developed for the device including face recognition, originally developed for medical purposes, the privacy concerns have shot up.

The officials have seemed to ask questions about how Google Glass will comply with 'data protection laws' and how it will share the information collected through the Glass.

Google Inc, who had recently been linked to the NSA 'snoopgate' controversy for having furnished user data without the users' knowledge to the government, has been questioned by the officials whether the company is doing anything about the 'broader social and ethical issues' that come with the product.

The officials have also asked the software giant to demonstrate the device to them and allow interested data protection authorities to test it.

With inputs from ANI