empty cinema

Google Glass, other wearables banned from US cinemas

Life
Image: Stockfresh

31 October 2014

US cinemagoers have ben told to shake off their wearable tech habit when they go to the movies.

The Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners announced on Wednesday that wearable devices must be turned off and put away at show time. That mandate includes Glass, Google’s computerised eyeglasses.

In a statement, the two associations said anyone who fails to comply with what they’re calling a zero-tolerance policy toward using any recording device may be asked to leave the cinema.

“If theater managers have indications that illegal recording activity is taking place, they will alert law enforcement authorities when appropriate, who will determine what further action should be taken,” the statement adds.

Google Glass, which is still in prototype, although in the hands of thousands, is piling up a list of places it’s not welcome.

A man who wore Google Glass to a cinema in Ohio was detained by officials of the Department of Homeland Security over piracy concerns in January. He was later allowed to leave after it was determined that Glass was part of a pair of prescription eye glasses in which the recording function had been turned off.

Last year, a Caesars Palace casino spokesman said customers wearing Google’s wearable computer won’t be allowed inside the casino.

“Gaming regulations prohibit the use of computers or recording devices by persons who are gambling,” said Gary Thompson, a spokesman for Caesars, at the time. “Therefore, individuals wearing Google Glass would not be allowed to gamble. If they attempted to do so, they would be subject to arrest under various state gaming regulations.”

Caesars wasn’t the first establishment to ban Glass. That distinction went to Seattle’s 5 Points Cafe and Bar, which announced a no Google Glass policy in March of 2013.

Computerworld

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