UK considers restricting smart glasses over secret filming concerns
The UK government is considering restrictions on smart glasses amid concerns the technology is being used to surreptitiously film women, safeguarding minister Satvir Kaur said in the House of Commons.
Kaur said: "The benefits of smart glasses must be weighed against the harms they can cause. The government is already looking into options to restrict smart glasses in certain settings and restricting the sale to certain users."
The minister said people who used smart glasses for filming already risked breaking the law in certain settings, such as in a court where cameras are prohibited. She added that healthcare and education have existing safeguarding or professional policies relevant to smart glasses and digital recording, and that NHS England and the Department for Education are currently looking into wearable technology in certain settings.
Liberal Democrat MP Anna Sabine, who held a Westminster Hall debate on smart glasses and violence against women and girls, said: "Women are reporting waking up after nights out to find videos of themselves have gone viral online, filmed without their knowledge or consent by men wearing smart glasses."
Sabine said the devices had the potential to erode safety and privacy in public spaces and raised important questions about consent. She said one selling point in advertisements was that the glasses could be used "to film discreetly", and that she did not want parliamentarians to "only regulate once it is too late."
Kaur said smart glasses, which can come with built-in cameras, microphones and displays, could "be hugely beneficial" to some people, including those who are visually impaired. "For example, for those that are visually impaired, smart glasses have been a gamechanger, helping them navigate the world around them," she said.
A Meta spokesperson said: "People use our glasses because they’re helpful and let them stay in the moment, from listening to music to live translation or hands-free calls. They were built to be noticed, which is why every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video. It cannot be turned off and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it."
Australia barred the use of camera-equipped glasses in government workspaces in September. The EU is scrutinizing glasses, though nothing official has been pursued yet, according to Tom's Guide.
Jason O’Connell, a Reform UK MS for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, defended his use of smart glasses in the Senedd debating chamber, telling the BBC’s Politics Wales that he used an in-built teleprompter feature because he wanted to stop looking down at his notes.
