I think it's right to be cynical - we're talking about the greatest data tracker and silos on earth here.

What concerns me is:

> applications should obtain explicit approval

Why not change that to a MUST? I'm pretty sure that's a legal requirement anyway.

> all data was collected for research purposes with users’ explicit approval and consent.

I don't trust you, sorry. Please show me the UI/forms you used to gain consent. I cannot have sex with someone because they agreed to it in a lengthy, detailed and complex agreement buried in complicated legalese.

> users were allowed to opt out at any point and request their data to be deleted.

And I can request for you to go...yourself with the BS you throw at developers every now and then, doesn't mean you're going to, does it?

I'm getting more and more closer to throwing the smartphone out the damn window, I'm not paying for a device so you can log my every interaction within the world in 4k.

> I'm not paying for a device so you can log my every interaction within the world in 4k.

What if following the footsteps of search business model the device comes...hear me out...free of charge??? Whoooooaaaa

As the article states: > Gaze research needs careful consideration, including being mindful of the correct use of such technology — applications should obtain explicit approval and fully informed consent from users for the specific task at hand.

Once this is possible within a mobile phone (which apparently is NOW) do we really believe all users of the capability will be this careful with it?

This has incredible potential to disrupt the ads business, marketplace business, as well as the software UI business.

In one word. It would completely disrupt the data mining business.

They only know when you click on something nowadays. With this tech it would completely change the data mining business and the info it can extract on the levels of engagements.

I predict there will be a system in place to prevent the cam being used at all times though.

Google can come up with something on Youtube streams where the streamer is using the front camera or maybe revamp GoogleTalk with ads, bottom line is giving the user a reason to use the front camera and then capture the gaze

Google is certainly not investing in research in this space for "wellness and accessibility", they're doing it for the sake of gaze tracking for ads.

Google is an advertising company, first and foremost.

Really hard to pull this off, people won't accept a camera which spies on them when they are using their phone

If 20 years ago, you told me people would use a digital map on their phone that activily tracks their real-time location and habits and then associates that with a unique 'user profile', I would also say: Really hard to pull this off, people won't accept... yet here we are.

All these companies have consistently managed to creep the limits of what we allow by alluring people with frictionless convenience (at the cost of privacy).

> I predict there will be a system in place to prevent the cam being used at all times though.

Like a piece of tape in front of it?

No...like the camera being disabled for real unless you give the consent to use it....all that under the penalty of losing the 2 trillion dollar company reputation if you are uncovered doing otherwise.

This thing would only work at 2% of its potential unless you also give users an excuse to use the front camera much more frequently and move the ads from search towards the aforementioned front camera environment.

They have a whole lot of social engineering to do which has to go along with the proper engineering.

I guess efficiency and customization junkies would love a GoogleDocs UI which is optimized for their gaze so you can be upfront with them

How much of a negative impact did Google see when it was shown that their smart speakers were recording and sharing that data 100% of the time? Probably wasn't zero, but it also wasn't enormous.

Google speakers aren't Android phones let's be real.

They'll never risk bugging billions of Android phones

Can't wait until when eye tracking is "required" to access advanced features of a service...