Could Google Glasses Herald Brave New Era of Video Surveillance by the General Public?

Photo: Antonio Zugaldia under Creative Commons Licence 3.0

Video footage gathered using Google Glasses has been used as court evidence for the first time, raising the prospect that video surveillance may no longer be the sole preserve of businesses and the government.

Haresh Mehta, 20, who lives in Southampton, took matters into his own hands when his repeated complaints to police of being the victim to insults failed to prompt formal action by police. Moreover, his accusations triggered counter-accusations from his alleged tormentor.

The IT security student purchased a pair of surveillance sunglasses with a video recorder hidden in the frame. “It was like having a camera between your eyes,” he said.

The ability to wear camera technology discretely on clothing could arguably embolden more ordinary members to film wrongdoers, confident that the camera won’t be easily visible.

The accuser brought a private prosecution  under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 on the basis that the defendant’s conduct entailed “threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour … within the hearing or sight of the informant [Mehta] which caused him harassment, alarm or distress”.

Mehta’s alleged tormentor pleaded guilty at the city’s magistrates court. Given the option of paying a £500 fine or serving one day in custody he chose the latter.

What implications does this have for the world of video surveillance technology? Might security companies increasingly equip their guards with this kind of technology?

It’s already happening in numerous police forces, with several trials of body-worn camera underway across the UK.

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