For the love of all that is holy, don’t let Facebook live on your wrist

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Facebook is working on a smartwatch to be released next summer, with two cameras, one of which can be detached from the wrist for the optimal selfie angle. It’s essentially a funnel for your life to pour into Facebook or Instagram, with a side order of biometric monitoring.

The Verge notes that the front of the smartwatch has a fixed camera that’s designed for video calling. A second camera on the back records in 1080p, has auto-focus, and can be detached from the watch to capture footage like an action cam.

Apparently, Facebook is talking to accessory companies so this removable camera will have a range of things to attach to, like backpacks.

The company is reportedly working with the top cellular carriers in the US to support LTE, so it won’t need a smartphone for connectivity. That’s kinda the whole point of the device, a way to get Facebook used by users without having either Google or Apple in-between Facebook and its users, which is a slightly horrifying thought.

I mean, Facebook really, really didn’t like the new privacy changes Apple brought to iOS 14, even if the company softened its stance eventually. Do you really think that a company that complains about privacy when other companies force it on them, is going to give two shits about your privacy once nobody is watching?

Chances are Facebook won’t, especially once they’ve brought out their AR glasses, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks will be just as common as smartphones one day and wants the smartwatch to be used as a controller for it.

This might all just be a pipe dream though, as the only smartwatches currently sold with cameras on them are in the lower end of the market, and even Google can’t attack Apple’s lead over the high end of the market. For Facebook to succeed, they’re going to need to win back customer confidence, otherwise, those always-handy cameras will fall flat.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.