TechAltar

I really wonder how AI companion devices are supposed to function legally.

As far as I know you can't just record video and audio of people in many countries constantly, especially when indoors in a private space. You need explicit permission. But an always-on, always-recording device would by definition not allow you to do this.

May 22, 2025 at 5:26pmWeb
Show threadTechAltarMay 22, 2025
Like, say you enter a random store. You would certainly need permission to record the shop assistant. How do you do this with a pendant that's always on?
Show threadQuinn NortonMay 22, 2025
@Techaltar my fear is the answer is "it's legal in America so we're just going to ignore everyone else's laws until it's a problem."
Show threadR.L. Dane    đźŤµ May 22, 2025

@quinn @Techaltar

"Move fast and break society"

Show threadOtter-MaticMay 22, 2025
@Techaltar I imagine they will try to leverage the “no reasonable expectation of privacy”
Show threadWilhelmusMay 22, 2025

@Techaltar Treat the pendant as a separate individual with its own rights?

Your eyes are also recording the shop assistant and is stored in the memories of your brain...

Show threadZahmbieNDMay 22, 2025
@Techaltar Does it come with a T-shirt that says "you are being recorded"?
Show threadTechAltarMay 22, 2025
@ZahmbieND That's something the owner of the space (e.g. store owner) can put up and you can decide if you agree to when you enter their space. You can't just declare it as you enter their porperty
Show threadtiago May 22, 2025
@Techaltar I can see the "feature not available in europe" warning from their launch day.
Show threadzbrandoMay 22, 2025
@Techaltar US market only ?
Show threadRaven667May 22, 2025
@Techaltar like most tech business the plan is to commit crimes unless/until they are stopped or become "too big to fail" and can retroactively make their behavior legal. also the business, such as it is, is to take money from investors by selling a dream, not from customers by selling a product, so it doesn't need to actually *work*
Show threadDMTomMay 23, 2025
@Techaltar oooff, I have’t thought about the security implications - how many pin codes they will accidentally record, how many screen passwords for phones, how many building security codes, both entered by the wearer and by those around… all auto-ingested by llama, gemini, etc. - basically the nightmare of MS recall - IRL. We do live in that chinese curse - interesting times:/
Show threadFabiusMay 23, 2025
@Techaltar isn't this more or less a users problem? I mean cameras can also be used illegally, but it's not that Sony or Canon would get sued but a user who films other people would. But yeah would be nice to know this from the beginning and make the device maker advertise it correctly like: this functionality is only allowed in private place like your home.