UK cinemas set to ban Google Glass

UK cinemas are set to ban customers from wearing Google Glass devices amid piracy fears. The £1000 hardware, which only just became available to buy outside of the US, will not be allowed to be worn by anybody wishing to see a movie in the vast majority of cinemas in the country. The move has come because of the ability of Google Glass to record video. The chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitor’s Association, Phil Clapp, explained that as employees might not be able to tell if the device is recording, they will ask customers not to wear them.

Clapp said: “Customers will be requested not to wear these into cinema auditoriums, whether the film is playing or not.” Cinema chain Vue also confirmed that they would ask any moviegoers to take off the eyewear when a movie is about to start. The policy in UK cinemas follows similar moves by US chains who have also introduced specific rules to cater for people using Google Glass. Similarly, some hospitals also prohibit the use of the eyewear to protect the privacy of patients.

Google has previously set out guidelines for users of Glass. The internet giant suggests that you treat the hardware in the same way as a mobile phone, taking the eyewear off in places where mobile phone use is prohibited. They also pointed out that it is unlikely that potential pirates would use Glass due to the way it lights up when recording, short battery life and limited storage. These limitations would make recording full movies inconvenient.

The problems posed by Google Glass may soon become a thing of the past. In the last few weeks Google has introduced a number of new wearable devices. The most notable new addition are smartwatches running Android Wear that can interact with smartphones and tablets. These smartwatches can do everything Google Glass can and do so in a much more convenient and socially acceptable way. Wired believes this could lead to the eyewear becoming obsolete.