Keller @ Large: How Much Privacy Should We Give Up?

BOSTON (CBS) - Are you a private person? Shy about being stared at in public, or even having your picture taken?

Better buckle your seat belt.

According to the New York Times, we are on the verge of an explosion of "wearable" computer technology.

Yes, wearable.

We've talked here before about Google Glass, the online glasses that let you text while you walk, which seems like every bit as bright an idea as texting while driving. Apple is about to come out with an iWatch.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

And apparently you can buy a tiny camera that pins onto your shirt and takes pictures of just about everything and everyone you see.

If you thought we were already living in a constantly-photographed world, with every man, woman, child and family pet playing smart-phone reporter, it's about to get even more so.

Maybe that's change, but is it for the better?

We've already seen the proliferation of cameras have an impact on politics. Careers are lost to the stray gaffe that winds up on YouTube, and politicians have less incentive than ever to speak out and speak candidly.

And sometimes you wonder about what it means when nearly every onlooker at an event is viewing it through their camera lens – if they aren't totally distracted by their smart-phone - instead of experiencing it directly. I especially wonder about the young kids I see doing this, and what it might mean for them later.

Hey, when you're out in public, you're fair game, and working in a business where our cameras aren't always welcome, I see no legal grounds to curtail more picture-taking.

But the thought of it is creepy.

Is there a limit to how much privacy we're willing to give up?

New technology that puts every passing stranger in position to snap away without you even knowing it might make this latest wave of change an unwelcome one.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.