A large part of the recent panic is about the fact that these new recording devices upload everything directly to a centralized server, where techbros can do waves arms in air vaguely with it.

If someone wants to record with a hidden USB body cam, that’s strictly a privacy issue between them and whoever they’re recording. You record something onto a microSD, then plug that into your computer to view. You’re the only one dealing with the footage, unless you specifically make the decision to upload it somewhere else.

But if you’re recording someone with smart glasses, it becomes a much bigger issue. Because your recording can be used to capture things like facial recognition data of everyone around you, for a third-party to use however they see fit.

Your argument is like saying that a closed-circuit security camera system in a mom-n-pop store, and Flock cameras spread throughout the town are the same thing. They’re fundamentally different, because the former is only used by whoever set the cameras up. But the latter has repeatedly shown to be a pipeline for abuse.