Major privacy concerns have erupted over smart glasses that allow wearers to film whatever they see.
They’ve become increasingly popular in recent years, with even Kylie Jenner releasing her very own line with tech giant Meta this week.
They look just like a normal pair of sunnies, but they have a small camera in the frame that can shoot videos and take photos.
While they’re billed as a great way to capture the world around you, the people being filmed or photographed might be unaware of what’s happening.
The glasses have a light that turns on when the camera is in use, but people have figured out how to disable this safety feature.
Security expert Scott Taylor told Yahoo Lifestyle that these glasses pose “substantial” privacy risks for the general public because some people want to use them for “covert” filming.
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“People have no idea they are being recorded,” the founder of Praesidium Risk and Resilience said.
Scott said that these glasses pose such a risk because, unlike phones and cameras, we aren’t trained to look for them when we’re out and about.
“The glasses are relatively new and off people’s radar,” he added.
Young Aussie’s terrifying run in with new tech glasses
Kayla Jade, who is an Aussie sex worker, was stunned when she realised a client tried to film their interaction without her permission while wearing these types of glasses.
“It took me a second to clock on… there was no flash saying that he was recording,” she said in a recent TikTok video.
“The glasses were very stealth. If my brain wasn’t wired to overanalyse every inch of a man, because of the work I do, I genuinely wouldn’t have noticed.”
Kayla (left) experienced this issue first-hand and security expert Scott Taylor (right) said this could soon become a huge privacy issue.
(Instagram/@itsmekaylajade/Praesidium Group)
She asked why anyone would think this was OK, and put out a PSA to her followers to be on the lookout for it.
But Kayla is far from the first person to raise this issue.
Last year, an American TikToker was accused of wearing these glasses to secretly film women at beaches and hotspots in Melbourne and Sydney.
He then uploaded these videos to his social media accounts, where his millions of followers watched how he “picked up” women.
Authorities at the University of San Francisco had to warn students after a man was reportedly using smart glasses to record women and say “unwanted comments and inappropriate dating questions”, according to SF Gate.
Aussie relationship expert Sera Bozza told Yahoo Lifestyle that wearable devices that can record people raised huge concerns for her.
Smart glasses have a camera on the frame that can record everything you’re doing.
(Supplied/Meta)
“People dating today are craving more real-life connection and trust, so using glasses to film or share ‘approach’ content feels like a huge step backwards,” she said.
“If we add the fear that a private interaction could become content, people will become even more guarded and less likely to relax, trust, and be present.”
What does Meta say about the safety element of their tech glasses
Meta is one of the best-known producers of smart glasses, and has collaborated with Ray-Ban and Oakley.
They can cost just over $300 for a first-generation pair, but can reach nearly $800.
The tech company claimed that if the light is covered with something like a sticker, the user will be notified to clear it before taking photos or videos.
The brand’s terms of service also state that users are responsible for complying with applicable laws and shouldn’t use products to engage in harmful activities.
“Any technology, whether it’s cameras, smartphones or AI glasses, comes with the same basic expectation: people should behave responsibly,” a Meta spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“We have teams dedicated to limiting and combatting misuse, but as with any technology, the onus is ultimately on individual people to not actively exploit it.”
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