In the light of Googles decision to end sales of its Google Glass eyewear with and we believe it is time for us to pause and take time to reset our strategy as well. The last year has shown us that resistance is not futile and that we can support technological progress without blindly accepting every creepy invasive technology that corporations want to foist upon us with . It has also shown us that it is possible for public debate to help establish sensible norms arround the use of technology in public places.
The stop the cyborgs campaign was never solely about Google Glass but rather about the invasive nature of wearables, dataveillance and the internet of things more generally. However this minor victory seems like a good time to pause our campaigning activities in order to rethink our stratergy and free up time for other projects. We therefore wont be updating this blog, tweeting, responding to interview requests, or doing any talks for a while.
Cyborg Unplug is an anti wireless-surveillance system for the home and workplace. It detects and kicks selected devices known to pose a risk to personal privacy from your wireless network, breaking uploads and streams. Detected wireless devices currently include: wearable spy cameras and microphones, Google Glass and Dropcam, small drones/copters and a variety of popular spy devices disguised as familiar objects
Glass will probably be back in some form and there are plenty of other invasive devices like Narrative clip, Drones or Spy Cams still being produced so you might still want to keep your no-surveillance signs up and your cyborg unplug plugged in.