Google chief Larry Page assured investors on Thursday that privacy fears about the company’s coming Internet glasses will fade as people incorporate the eyewear into their lives.
“People worry about all sorts of things that actually, when we use the product, it is not that big a concern,” Page said while fielding questions at an annual shareholders meeting at the company headquarters in Silicon Valley.
“You don’t collapse in terror that someone might be using Glass in the bathroom just the same as you don’t collapse in terror when someone comes in with a smartphone that might take a picture.”
Page’s remarks came in response to a shareholder’s expressed worry that Google camera-enabled, internet-linked eyewear is “a voyeur’s dream come true.”
“Obviously, there are cameras everywhere,” Page said, after taking a quick poll to find that nearly everyone at the gathering had smartphones capable of taking photos.
“I love using Google Glass,” he continued, noting that the company had “gone through some pains” to safeguard people’s privacy.
Google last week put out word that it won’t allow facial recognition capabilities in applications being tailored for Glass at its release expected later this year.