72% of Americans Refuse Google Glass Over Privacy Concerns: Report

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By Karissa Bell2014-04-08 02:29:02 UTC

The main reason why Americans won't wear Google Glass isn't its high price or the less-than-stellar reputation of some of its users — it's privacy.

A recent poll, conducted by market-research firm Toluna, found 72% of Americans cited privacy concerns as the biggest reason for not wanting to wear Glass.

See also: How Google Fumbled Glass — and How to Save It

Those polled were especially concerned about the possibility of hackers accessing personal data and revealing personal information, including location information, Adweek reported.

Safety was also a major concern among the 1,000 individuals who participated in the poll. Distractibility was the second-biggest reason cited for not wanting Glass. More than a third of respondents also expressed concerns about being mugged.

“Google Glass is not yet available on the open market, although it is clear that a high proportion of individuals have concerns about the potential impact on their privacy," Mark Simon, Toluna's North American managing director told Adweek. “This is something Google and other tech companies using the technology should address before the product can become mainstream.”

The findings highlight the ongoing debate about the privacy implications of Google Glass. Last May, eight members of U.S. Congress sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page, asking him to describe how Google would deal with the issue of personal privacy, including data collection and storage on Glass.

Google responded with assurances that features such as facial recognition would not be added to Glass without ensuring individuals' privacy and security, although at least one member of Congress said Google's response did not go far enough.

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Topics: Gadgets, Google Glass, Google Glass, Tech