A low-cost variant of Meta’s infamous camera glasses available at Kmart has sold out, sparking privacy concerns as Australians face the prospect of being filmed without their knowledge or consent.
The Anko-branded glasses, simply called “camera glasses”, are sold out in-store and online as of Tuesday afternoon, costing just $89.
Kmart’s camera glasses have quickly sold out, offering a cheaper alternative to existing options. Kmart
The price is far less than its competitor, sold by Meta and made in collaboration with Ray-Ban.
According to the Ray-Ban website, the cheapest version of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses costs $367 and can cost as much as $709.
The product description on Kmart’s website says the glasses can capture photos up to eight megapixels, and videos up to 1080 pixels, and also has bluetooth connectivity for calls, smart touch controls and buttons, and image recognition and chat features.
Experts are raising the alarm at the privacy and ethical concerns surrounding the proliferation of these cameras potentially filming unsuspecting people in public.
Tom Sulston, head of policy at Digital Rights Watch, worried about what may happen if the cameras get into the hands of the wrong people.
“[We see] misogynistic men, social media influencer types, harassing women, using these hidden cameras to kind of generate content for social media clout and views,” he told nine.com.au.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing a pair of Meta Ray-Bans. Meta
“It’s not possible to get consent because you’re recording everyone around you all the time.”
Dr Victoria McAarthur from Monash University said there were unanswered questions about where the data from the images and information captured by the cameras will go.
“What happens after images or videos are captured?” she told nine.com.au. “How long are they stored? Who can access them? Are they used to train AI systems?
“Meta has a long history of privacy concerns, and we should be wary about how these glasses are used.”
She also claimed the camera inside the glasses are designed to be inconspicuous, and that this was a deliberate approach from both the fashion designers and the technology companies, referencing Meta and Ray-Bans partnership.
Attorney General Michelle Rowland insisted the federal government was committed to protecting the privacy of Australians. Alex Ellinghausen
Sulston expressed concerns that Australia’s current privacy laws do not properly account for the latest camera technology, and could be exploited.
A spokesperson for Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, told nine.com.au the federal government had already made changes, and were committed to continuing to ensure the privacy of Australians is protected.
“The Government is aware of community concerns around the increasing ability of technology to collect people’s personal information, often without their knowledge,” the spokesperson said, mentioning changes to the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, which allows people to take legal action in serious invasions of privacy.
“The Government will continue work on a further tranche of reforms, to ensure Australia’s privacy laws are fit for purpose in the digital age,” the spokesperson added.