The domestic legal system should be changed to better deal with the possibility of privacy infringement by wearable devices such as Google Glass.
According to the National Information Society Agency’s report published on August 7, recently-released wearable devices are designed to be capable of collecting personal information anytime and anywhere, which is raising concerns over the misappropriation of personal information. The shipments of such devices are estimated at 19.2 million units this year, and are expected to grow by 78.4 percent annually during the five years to come. In particular, Google Glass is at the center of the controversy, as it can record and share real-time images.
The NameTag function of Google Glass is another hot-button issue. It shows a person's personal profile when a picture of them is taken and uploaded onto the Web. It constitutes a typical example of privacy infringement because it reveals personal information about someone without their consent. “The subjects of NameTag-based individual identification have to be limited to those who have agreed to the use of the feature,” a U.S. senator recently said.
At present, the Personal Information Protection Act prohibits the installation and operation of CCTVs and visual information processing equipment like network cameras in principle. However, wearable devices do not correspond to visual information processing equipment, which are defined as fixed installations to continuously monitor a certain place, and thus cannot be banned by the law.
“Up to now, wearable gadgets have posed few problems regarding personal information protection and infringement,” said the Korea Communications Commission, adding, “We will launch an in-depth investigation of potential risks soon.”