A Google Glass App to Measure Emotions

Facial recognition company Emotient is testing new technology to measure emotion in individuals and crowds. It works by detecting subtle pattern changes in a person’s face (Alice Truong, “This Google Glass App Will Detect Your Emotions,” FastCompany.com, Mar. 6, 2014). The current manifestation of the technology is a Google Glass app. Emotient sees the most potential in retail and health care. It will enable retailers to judge customers’ reaction to products and health care providers to screen for depression, “a costly ailment because it is often linked to other health problems.” With the government taking over every aspect of health care and otherwise intruding into every nook and cranny of our lives, it is not difficult to imagine how this technology will be abused. Google and Apple have filed patents that point to their own interest in measuring emotions for the purpose of serving ads.

(Friday Church News Notes, March 14, 2014, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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