I am apparently gone because I've always wanted that - in fact it's the only intelligent-assistant application concept I've heard which is appealing. What is so wrong about it?

When you can instantly see the salary data and criminal history of everyone you meet, we can very quickly spiral into dystopia.

It's also likely inevitable. Every time you tag someone in a Facebook photo you are helping this happen.

> we can't see how wrong that would be

I don't think most people will object. Here are some excuses that you can pick from to feel better about our dys... world.

"It only works when someone is near me, and I'd have more things to worry about if someone wished harm on me and was sitting next to me."

"Well privacy is dead anyway, and I get to play candy crush with friends for free! Personal data is worthless anyway."

"Even if they can change who I am given enough personal data, who cares? I'm already shaped by the people around me, what's wrong with adding companies to the mix?"

"China is doing it, and China is ahead of us in everything. We must copy them."

(These are all more or less from actual discussions I've had about privacy.) Take your pick.

Personally I think these ideas are great and it's hard for me to see your post as anything more than hand wringing. I'm guessing you are hinting about something like FindFace?

If so, that train has largely sailed. Same advice as before holds: curate your social media presence and have the guts to turn down contacts that you don't want.

You think people want facebook and linkedin of all things over a new tool? Those are the two social networks with the lowest brand value to end users (not advetisers and recruiters). This seems like it would lead to the demise of public social networks feeding into the AR than killing AR itself. Just gtfo social media with your real name: problem solved.

Obviously this would be a corporate wet dream if both movements continue.

It would be ok if it is voluntary - you can upload your face and choose what information about you is shown, not if someone scans the entire internet to collect as mush information as possible and make an app of that.

Not in regular life, but at a conference it would be great.

But it would ruin all the fun of unknowingly lobbing all your incoherent beginner's ideas at some leading expert of the field that you failed to recognize. Isn't that what conferences are for?

This would be invaluable for people like me with prosopagnosia. Also people with early-stage dementia, I suspect.

Back in old days, we had to wear buttons that said "Hi! I don't remember your name, either!"

The Killer App for AR (and Google Glass) is called iNARcissist, which makes other people talk about you.