A letter – an actual letter, mind – arrives from my local optician. It’s not dated and it’s not signed, so not the most personalised correspondence I have ever received, but I like to support local businesses rather than the High Street behemoths which dominate the sector and I shall book an appointment for a check-up as soon as I can be bothered. However, I am slightly concerned about the second part of the letter. He’s invited me to “explore the new Ray-Ban style (glasses) with hands-free technology, including discreet audio, voice control and built in cameras – all fitted to (my) prescription lenses.” Now why would I want to do that?
As I get older, the corrective-laser surgery I had around 30 years ago has not prevented the need for reading glasses, computer glasses and more recently driving glasses for the night time. At great cost, I now have numerous pairs to wear when appropriate. Although they help me perform different functions, they still do the same thing: they help me see better. The new Ray-Bans would help me do much more than that.
However, I do not want to do anymore with my glasses than see properly. I have no wish to discreetly record what people are saying to me – I’m not (yet) deaf enough to require assistance in the hearing department – and I can only imagine the sort of things I could film with built-in cameras.
If I was a pervert, or even a paedophile, I imagine the camera function would come in very handy. I do not think I need to explain how such glasses could be used by someone who, for example, got satisfaction from watching children. I hasten to add that I am not a paedophile, although somewhat unkindly I have occasionally been referred to as a pervert, jokingly I hope, but it’s just the thought of having Meta Smart glasses that make me think wouldn’t people have their doubts as to why I would want such a thing?
To my surprise and delight, the Wetherspoons chain has banned the wearing of them in their pubs. Owner and chief pro Brexit twat Tim Wetherspoon (Martin, really) says this: “The general code that applies in our pubs, and most pubs, is that you can’t film customers or employees without their permission. Meta glasses seem to breach this code, and common sense, by enabling surreptitious surveillance, so our instinct is to say turn off the cameras. This is akin to our efforts to stop audible playing of videos in our pubs, which also invades people’s space.” The first time I have ever said, well said Tim Wetherspoon.
I am no Luddite when it comes to most forms of technology. I have a variety of Apple products on which, I am afraid to say, I am heavily dependent. Do I really need something else in addition to my iPhone, my iWatch, my ear pods and my MacBook? The answer to that is a big fat no.
I foresee real problems with the spread of these Meta glasses, especially if and when some people share unsolicited photos, videos and recordings on the internet because you can bet your bottom dollar someone will. And the next time I walk past our local school, will I walk past a spectacle-wearing gentleman and think he’s up to no good, maybe he’s a paedo?
I’ll have my eyes tested as usual but I’ll give the Meta glasses a miss. It all sounds a bit wrong to me.
