RECOMMENDED READING: Why the new Facebook watch could be a hard sell
Nick KenyonAs reported last week by Alex Heath for The Verge, Facebook is reported to be working on its very own smartwatch, due for launch in the middle of 2022. This will be the first time the tech giant is making a play for your wrist real estate, taking on the mighty Apple Watch which remains the worlds best selling wristwatch. But while this is exciting news for anyone who holds shares in the social media conglomerate, it certainly gives the rest of us pause for concern, according to a Fast Company article. Will there be Facebook watch privacy issues, just like we’ve seen in the headlines over the last few years?
The most significant story relating to the way Facebook handles the data it collects from its users was the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It was a story of jaw-dropping magnitude that saw them sued by the Australian Government, forced to pay a £500,000 fine to the UK and become the subject of the film The Great Hack.
There are some serious trust issues between Facebook and millions of its users, which Mark Sullivan writing for Fast Company believes will deter people from adopting the new watch. The Facebook watch will reportedly have two cameras inbuilt, making it easier for users to share images and videos on the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms that it also owns. To make it easier to take a good photo, the watch will be able to detach from its strap as you take the shot, before clicking it back into place.
Whether Facebook is able to rebuild enough user trust over the next 12 months remains to be seen, but it does look like it will have an uphill battle to make an impression on the white-hot smartwatch market. As Sullivan concludes his piece: “I find little reason to trust Facebook with even more information about me – especially images collected from my wrist. Having the company’s eyes and ears pressed against my body all day long? Hard pass.”