London - Some days will always be remembered — your wedding, the birth of a child or the perfect Christmas. Other days — a family row, or last-minute present buying — are probably best forgotten.
But for a growing band of “lifeloggers”, every single day is recorded in minute detail and stored for future reference.
Lifeloggers seek to capture daily details, either through pictures and video stored on the internet or by using apps to record the patterns of their mood, sleep, exercise regimes or diet.
So far, only a handful of users broadcast their lives online for others to see, but the popularity of Facebook and Twitter suggests others will join in as the technology becomes more available.
Next year sees the launch of Memoto, a £173 (about R2 300) camera the size of a postage stamp which can be clipped onto clothes and will take a photograph every 30 seconds. The images will be automatically uploaded to the internet with details of when and where they were taken.
Memoto’s Swedish makers say the aim is “to give you pictures of every single moment of your life, complete with information on when and where you were”.
Privacy campaigners warn users will be revealing too much information about themselves, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft and blackmail.
And they raise questions about the privacy rights of the thousands of friends, colleagues and strangers who would inevitably feature in users’ lifelogs... with or without their knowledge.
Stephen Bowen, director of the British Institute of Human Rights, says: “There is a risk that we are sleepwalking into a surveillance society.” - Daily Mail