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Google Glass has been in the hands of developers on Google's Explorer programme for a while now, but some of those who have got their hands on the high-tech specs have been pushing the boundaries of what Google wants them to do.

One hacker has successfully managed to get facial recognition technology to run on Glass, despite Google explicitly stating in its developer policy that this isn't allowed. Stephen Balaban, founder of Lambda Labs in San Francisco, is challenging Google and hoping that others will do the same, actively encouraging people to use the hashtag #ihackglass on Twitter. "Essentially what I am building is an alternative operating system that runs on Glass but is not controlled by Google," Balaban told NPR. By overriding the Glass operating system and running his own software Balaban has managed to use the forward-mounted camera to recognise faces. Hackers such as Balaban are proving that by rooting Glass, it's perfectly possible to sideload applications Google doesn't necessarily approve of.


While there may well be demand for apps that can utilise Glass' camera to recognise objects, such as faces, and then display relevant information about them on the screen, concerns that this could invade people's privacy have been expressed by politicians and the public.

Google has received letters from the US Congress'

Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus and Representatives from ten international data protection agencies, which implore the company to address the public's concerns more thoroughly and make changes to relevant sections of its privacy policy, which Google Glass will be covered by. Despite updating its developer policy, Google has refused to consider changing its privacy policy and has said it will retain control over Glass by remotely blocking apps and pushing out automatic software updates.

It's still unclear as to how much control Google will actually be able to exercise over the hardware when it's out in the wild though. It's already freely handed out the keys to rooting Glass during a developer session called 'Voiding your Warranty: Hacking Glass'. Not being allowed to use facial recognition is very different to not being able to use it though, and by releasing Glass to creative and talented developers and hackers, Google has allowed the limits of what can be achieved with its hardware to be pushed.

This means it can close certain loopholes and fix issues before the technology becomes widely available, but it's inevitable that its ideas about what Glass should be used for will be challenged. "Don't worry," Lambda Labs tweeted when Google added the facial recognition clause to its policy, "we think it's a core feature. Google will allow it or be replaced with something that does."