Google Glass User Pulled from Movie, Questioned by DHS, Is Pretty Cool About It
Google hopes its wearable computing eyeglasses, Glass, is poised to revolutionize our daily interaction with technology and the internet, but it's already proved a challenge to laws and societal norms. Just two days after Glass Explorer Cecilia Abadie got out of a ticket she received for "driving with [a computer] monitor visible to driver" while wearing Glass, another Explorer has run into the long, outmoded, arm of the law.
On a Saturday, one Glass Explorer went to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit in a Columbus, Ohio AMC movie theater. About an hour into the movie, a federal law enforcement agent approached him, grabbed his Glass off of his face, and led him outside, where more agents awaited him. He was taken into questioning by Homeland Security for about three hours. That's not the plot of the movie, that's what happened to the unnamed 35-year-old who went to see the movie.
There were two things that seemingly caused this kerfuffle. First, the man had prescription lenses in his Google Glass, meaning he wore them all the time -- even if the Glass was shut off. Second -- and this is simply bad luck -- a representative from the Motion Picture of Association of America (MPAA) happened to be at the theater and asked the AMC manger to call authorities, suspecting the 35-year-old of pirating the movie. The Homeland Security agents were U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which, in part, is responsible for enforcing anti-piracy laws. The man also happened to be a legal Balkan immigrant.
In questioning, the man offered to prove he wasn't recording the movie, telling the Columbus Dispatch, "I said, 'Want to prove I'm not recording the movie? It's very easy.'" He told them the USB port on Glass could be plugged into a computer to verify that no part of the movie was recorded. "There's nothing but pictures of my wife and my dog on it," he says he told the agents. It was only after agents followed his advice that they realized he was telling the truth.
Of course, if agents -- or the individuals from the AMC or MPAA -- had known more about Google Glass, the incident would probably not have occurred. Glass, for all its technological marvels, only has a 5-megapixel camera and a microphone ill-equipted for pirating movies playing in a theater, not to mention that the battery wouldn't have lasted through any feature-length film. The MPAA itself, speaking to the Columbus Dispatch, even admitted after the fact that it has seen no proof that Glass is a piracy threat.
For his part, the Glass Explorer says he's not planning to sue AMC or DHS for the overblown incident. AMC gave him four tickets to see future movies, though according to the Explorer, no apology. He also doesn't think he was profiled for being an immigrant, and, when asked if he's still angry at the agents or AMC, he told TechCrunch:
"Initially, Monday, I wanted to find out who they were (because I didn't remember their names in the heat of the event) and write an angry letter to their supervisor but with all this press coverage they might be already in trouble. I don't want them to lose their jobs, I just want them to think more. So I won't do anything else."
There will undoubtedly be more incidents with law enforcement and users of wearables, as the market for smartwatches, smartglasses, and other devices is expected to triple over the next few years. If only everyone, on both sides of the legal confusion, would handle it as calmly as that theater-going Glass Explorer.