I have just finished my last post about innovation in the hospitality industry through google glass and face recognition, when I researched how far we are with FR.
In my researches about face recognition, one point came regularly up: privacy concerns! And Google Glass would even worsen this points, because they are clearly much more mobile than any CCTV camera installed… anywhere.
Hence: would it be really that bad?
I think it would be quite useless, if you are closing on this topic on a philosophical way. However we have to understand, what we are doing for the moment:
- A lot of bars [definitely in the UAE] have CCTV cameras installed.
- Guests are reserving a table with their names.
- Guests are checking in with their passport details.
- Guests paying with their credit cards.
- They even have to show their id to come in bars & nightclubs [due to the minimum age of 21 years].
- We already have guests’ profiles – to provide superior service.
Hence, if there would be a privacy concern – we would be already in deep trouble.
I see the Google Glass only as extension, as tool, to use information more effectively.
There is still the possibility to inform guests, that their faces and names are recognized and saved. If a guest doesn’t want to be recognized – he / she could still go to another venue.
And the system has to be limited and the available data have to be restricted to different “clearance levels”.
The normal employee would need to know the name of the guest. The server would need to know the specific likes/dislikes, allergies etc. The manager might also be able to retrieve further patterns [as we are doing it already]…
I can only repeat it again – the hazards are far lower, than the increase in service quality with such a system…