T & A Gets No Play on Google Glass

 Google Glass  

Google released the Glass API to developers earlier this year with stipulations against using the system for pornography.  Morgan Wilson hopes such restrictions won't stifle potential innovations for the technology.

Without porn, some common technologies might not have taken off so quickly. With these new technologies, adult content finds its way on the scene early on. Would the Internet have taken off like it did if it weren't for porn? What about VHS tapes? Despite porn's history for giving a bump to new tech, Google is adamant that Glass will remain porn-free.

Image Source: FirmGuide.com

Google released the Glass API to developers in May, which meant they could finally develop apps for the company's smart glasses, notes internetserviceproviders.com. Google has already built in voice controls for messaging, Google+, Maps and a camera, but whether the glasses will actually take off depends on whether consumers adopt them. That means developers must offer apps that make Google Glass a must-have and not just an expensive novelty.

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Of course, it's no surprise that third parties have already tried to use Google Glass for adult purposes. Opening up the API meant that developers could run wild, at least until Google put the kibosh on their plans. Google was quick to react with its ban-hammer, stating that Google Glass was just not the place for any "nudity, graphic sex acts, or sexually explicit material." Google made no qualms about the fact that the company is ready to block any apps that violate this provision.

And just what app was the first to do so? It was only a few days before the team behind MiKandi released an app allowing users to view pornographic images and videos on Google Glass. MiKandi promised that Glass owners would be able to have one-on-one interactions with other adults, as well as add first-person POV to adult content in a way that's never been done before. First person porn is already available and Glass would just expand on that.

Google isn't having it, however, and this isn't the only ban that the tech giant has enacted in the very short time that the API has been available. Google will also reject any app that incorporates facial recognition, according to a recent article on Venture Beat. Google is concerned about how those apps could affect privacy issues.

It is rather easy to take an inconspicuous photo of anyone with just a single wink, so it makes sense that Google would want to prevent nefarious uses of Glass. Alas, you won't be able to Facebook stalk that cute barista without asking his last name thanks to Google. Still, facial recognition could perhaps happen in the future. The official statement said that the company would only prevent the feature without "strong privacy protections in place.”

For some people, these restrictions come as a surprise. Google has been pretty open with its projects, including Android, in the past. However, technology as new as Glass opens doors in ways the world has never seen before, so it's understandable that Google wants to play it safe. Hopefully, Google will loosen up restrictions as developers show the true power of Glass. Then, consumers will have a better idea what Google Glass can do for them.

By Morgan Watson

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Author Bio - Morgan is an information technology expert from Corpus Christie, Texas.