Wearable Tech & The Future Of Body Cameras For The Public…
The unprecedented and unforeseen media firestorm that’s been swirling around celebrities, entertainers, and politicians accused of sexual assault over the course of just a few months comes on the heels of a national outcry for police officers around the country to be required to wear body cameras. Seemingly unrelated, the two topics are more entwined than the average individual would suspect, as GoPro cameras, wearable technologies, phone cameras, audio recording devices and dash-cams have become an instant access point for individuals to broadcast injustices in mere seconds.
As the allegations of sexual assault continue to pour in, it begs the question, does wearable technology make sense as a solution to combat the issues at hand? And would it help better protect individuals in the workplace and in public places?
Wearable technologies like body cameras — similar to the ones that some police units wears — are hardly different than an individual on the street broadcasting an incident with his or her mobile phone. With that being said, if all individuals wore wearable cameras in public (smart glasses, body cameras, wrist cameras, etc.), wouldn’t it make sense that another person would feel less inclined to physically assault or verbally harass that individual for fear of being brought to justice?
In many ways it seems as though wearable technologies and wearable cameras are the way of the future. Assumed that all people wore body cameras or recorded all audio to a device while out in public, one would surmise that crime rates would drop significantly, especially in places where people feel most vulnerable and defenseless… whether this means your average office break-room, a private meeting with someone in a position of authority, or a crowded city street full of pedestrians. Now, the feasibility of a project like this is quite absurd for 2017, and an undertaking like this from a state-government level to a federal judiciary level would take many, many years to regulate, but where’s progress without thinking outside of the box?
Wearable cameras and audio recording devices being worn by civilians at all times also presents a whole separate slew of issues involving privacy, when and where cameras and microphones can & can’t be turned on, and how to handle this type of evidence in a court of law without the ability of an individual first tampering with the camera’s footage or the phone’s audio file.
Obviously it’s not a cut and dry scenario, but we’d love to hear what YOU think about wearable technologies moving forward.
Are wearable technologies the next frontier of self-defense for civilians?
Written by Peter J. Schaub
President & CEO, NeoCertified
