Chapter 802: The Debate on Privacy Invasion
Facing a wave of fierce criticism from around the world, Hise could no longer remain silent. The head of Hise Smart Glasses personally spoke out to address the issue.
"We believe that as Hise glasses gradually become integrated into people's daily lives and become a part of their everyday routine, concerns about privacy will naturally diminish. It won't become a major problem. I think in the near future, people won't feel uneasy about someone using Hise glasses in a restroom, just as they wouldn't feel uneasy about someone using a smartphone in a restroom."
"As for whether to add an LED light to the camera, this involves the overall product design. The internal structure of Hise glasses is relatively compact, and our mission has always been to benefit consumers. The camera function on Hise glasses is a convenience for users, which is an inevitable outcome of technological progress. We also hope that our mindsets can evolve with technology, working together to create a better, high-tech lifestyle."
The statement from the head of Hise Smart Glasses did not quell the dispute; instead, it intensified the online debate.
While from a purely technological standpoint, more features on a smart glasses device are always better, the privacy issue is not as simple as the Hise representative made it out to be.
Tech media outlet TechCrunch quickly responded to the Hise glasses representative's remarks: "Comparing Hise glasses to smartphones is a clever argument, but it doesn't hold up. Although both devices have camera functions, when you hold up a smartphone to take a photo, everyone can see you're doing it, and people will still strongly object. Moreover, in some countries, you can't even turn off the shutter sound when taking a photo with a smartphone, precisely to ensure citizens' privacy is not violated."
"Even adding an LED light might not eliminate this risk, because the LED light isn't very noticeable during the day, and users could deliberately dirty or block it. At the very least, manually damaging the LED light poses no technical challenge. As long as manufacturers provide users with camera and livestreaming functions, we can't guarantee where those functions will be used."
Many tech websites conducted surveys on the question, "Do Hise glasses invade privacy?" People with different stances engaged in heated discussions, but regardless of the outcome, one thing was clear: many people were genuinely concerned about Hise glasses.
At the very least, when seeing someone wearing Hise glasses, many people felt a sense of unease and wanted to keep their distance, because no one knew whether the wearer was recording or if their face might end up on some website.
Abroad, this even gave rise to a new term: "glasshole," used to describe people who, after acquiring Hise glasses, became annoying in various ways due to improper use.
It wasn't just ordinary people; certain special venues also issued bans on Hise glasses.
First, film associations in many countries announced a crackdown on smart glasses—not just Hise glasses, but all glasses with camera functions had to be turned off during screenings. Some movie theaters in certain regions even banned audiences from wearing smart glasses inside, and if there was suspicion of recording a film, they could call the police on the spot.
Clearly, this was an inevitable result of anti-piracy policies.
Beyond that, many other venues strictly prohibited the use of smart glasses with camera functions, such as casinos, legally licensed adult clubs abroad, some bars and commercial establishments, gym locker rooms, doctor's offices, government buildings...
In addition to these "strictly prohibited" venues, many other places made it clear that they were unwelcoming to people wearing Hise glasses. Some people even developed a natural prejudice against Hise glasses users, as if anyone using them must be up to no good...
The script was heading in an unexpected direction. Perhaps even the developers of the Hise glasses project hadn't anticipated that such an obvious feature would cause such a huge mess.
Of course, they weren't foolish enough to do something even dumber, like setting up a dedicated livestreaming site for Hise glasses users to broadcast, or secretly activating the Hise glasses' camera to collect and upload data.
But even just the camera function alone had already left the Hise glasses development team in a state of panic.
If it were just the camera function, it wouldn't necessarily lead to bans or lawsuits. After all, in Chen Mo's previous life, Google Glass always had a camera. Although the debate about "privacy invasion" persisted, it mostly resulted in bans in certain venues or joint letters from officials demanding Google respond. Google Glass's failure was mainly due to its extremely poor cost-effectiveness, with few people willing to buy it.
In the parallel world, the debate over whether "smart glasses invade privacy" was still raging. It wasn't likely that a company as large as Hise would be completely crushed just because its glasses had a camera. But regardless, the privacy storm severely damaged Hise's reputation and hindered sales of Hise glasses.
After all, those who bought Hise glasses had spent nearly ten thousand yuan. They were respectable people who cared about their image. Who would want to be called a "glasshole" and face dirty looks everywhere they went?
Many people bought smart glasses partly to show off. But when they tried to chat up a beautiful woman while wearing them, she would immediately change her expression and walk away without a word—how embarrassing was that?
Many Hise glasses owners felt inexplicably frustrated, yet they couldn't defend themselves.
If you said you weren't using the camera function, who would believe you?
...
Those who bought Lehui glasses, on the other hand, watched the chaos from a safe distance with schadenfreude.
Onlookers love a good spectacle. Even if Hise glasses were banned worldwide, what did it matter? Matrix glasses didn't have a camera function—it had nothing to do with them.
It was only then that many people understood the thoughtful intention behind Matrix glasses lacking a camera.
"No wonder Matrix glasses don't have a camera—it was intentional! Such foresight, amazing!"
"No need to be called a 'glasshole'! I feel so sorry for those who bought Hise glasses—they paid more and still got scolded..."
"Feel sorry? No, I don't feel sorry at all. In fact, I can't help but laugh out loud..."
"Honestly, how often do ordinary people use the camera function? If you occasionally need to take a photo, just use your phone. The lens on your head is shaky and not very practical. Even if some streamers or extreme sports enthusiasts have that need, they're a minority. Besides, if you really need that feature, you can just buy a head-mounted camera."
"I think Hise glasses sales in the domestic market are going to take a serious hit. Long live our Matrix glasses! Hurry up and produce more, damn it—I still haven't managed to snag one yet!"