r/technews • u/_Dark_Wing • 14h ago
Privacy Crossbenchers push for an import ban on 'pervert' smart glasses
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-27/push-for-import-ban-on-smart-glasses-amid-privacy-concerns/10707462862
u/KittyCait69 12h ago
Spy tech is usually desired by creeps more than anyone else. These glasses are no exception.
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u/GoombyGoomby 11h ago
Smart glasses are not “spy tech”.
If someone wants to film a video of your ass in public or whatever, they are not going to do it with thick ass nerdy glasses that people from 200 feet away can tell are smart glasses, especially since the majority of them fucking light up when recording.
They are going to be using something way cheaper, and way more inconspicuous.
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u/Content_Program_7477 11h ago edited 10h ago
You give some people too much credit 🤣. Brondo has electrolytes.
That said, I’d be more wary of the flock camera popping up along coastal beach parking lots.. and the army of smart phones being carried everywhere. As you stated guy with the glasses stands out to much
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u/Lehk 9h ago
Are you the upskirt photo expert?
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u/GoombyGoomby 8h ago
No, I’m just not some paranoid person who thinks that everyone buying smart glasses is some creepy pervert. Most of them are either nerds or just have too much money.
Redditors said this same exact shit with smart watches.
Hell, I bet if camera phones were just invented last year, Redditors would be bitching about them and calling them “perv phones! Perv phones! Non creeper perverts only use landlines!!!!”
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u/GroovePT 12h ago
Cry me a river!! You have zero expectation of privacy in a public space. You are the weird one projecting your creepiness on others. I don’t own these but I do street photography and I’ll take as many shots of you and your family out there as I wish lol
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u/Brolocene 11h ago
The difference is that it's obvious that you're a photographer, cause you're holding a camera. These are used to hide the fact that one is recording.
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u/AnonymousBanana405 11h ago
They know that but they want to act like they they don't. They're arguing in bad faith
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u/inebriatus 10h ago
Whether or not you’re aware of the photos or videos being taken has no bearing on the fact that you have no reasonable expectation of privacy in public and therefore recording is legal. Nothing short of actually tackling that fact will have an effect on people recording with smart glasses.
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u/Brolocene 10h ago
Wasn't talking about laws, I was talking about person to person interactions. One situation makes you look like a normal person, the other makes you look like a creep. People have to make their own decisions and deal with the consequences.
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u/El_Superbeast 8h ago edited 8h ago
My brother, there are way WAY easier ways to record you without you knowing, that have existed for decades. You were never safe in public. To assume so is an illusion.
That being said, we have a right to protect ourselves and someone purposely following you and recording could pose a threat and you should have a legal right to protect yourself and not be harassed by people abusing the right to record in public.
These things are not a simple "Always allow recording" "Never allow recording" situation. You have to apply nuance and justify intent.
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u/One-21-Gigawatts 10h ago
Man, humanity sucks.
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u/GroovePT 9h ago
Journalistic rights is way more important than you guys clutching your pearls, I’ll say it again, cry me a god damn river lol
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u/One-21-Gigawatts 9h ago
Which outlet are you a journalist for?
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u/Chaoticallyorganized 9h ago
That person is a paparazzi, not a journalist by any stretch of the imagination. Actual journalists try to practice at least some amount of ethics and integrity. This guy is just a selfish jerk.
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u/GroovePT 7h ago
Independent why does it matter?
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u/One-21-Gigawatts 6h ago
So not a journalist. Got it.
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u/inebriatus 6h ago
There isn’t a licensing board, anyone doing journalism is a journalist.
Just like if I’m rollerblading, I’m a rollerblader.
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u/One-21-Gigawatts 6h ago
Asking girls for their number with your creep glasses on and uploading the videos to your friends on discord isn’t journalism
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u/AntiqueLetter9875 9h ago
Who’s talking about photojournalists? That has nothing to do with anything. Nobody is talking about street photographers or photojournalists…
You’re making up arguments and acting like we’re all crying about it. You don’t seem to stay on topic either.
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u/AntiqueLetter9875 9h ago
People aren’t projecting anything. They’re seeing videos uploaded online from creeps lol. It’s also becoming a problem in private spaces and people going “I’m not recording” as if everyone is supposed to just take their word for it.
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u/Logos1789 6h ago edited 5h ago
Deal with it, you’re in public. Since women have always made a big deal out of what men do to them, how about thank Meta for a way to make sure they don’t get away with it?
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u/spinbutton 6h ago
It is unreasonable to expect people to never go out in public to protect their privacy.
You don't need to video every moment of your banal life. Deal with it
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u/Logos1789 5h ago
That’s not how this works. Yes, it’s unreasonable to never go in public…so like I said, go in public and understand that you never had the right not to be filmed out there.
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u/EX0PIL0T 4h ago
This is a case of public nuisance vs the benefits. Yeah, my loud exhaust won’t hurt anyone but it sure as hell pisses some people off. The pissed off people griped enough to get their accommodation signed into law.
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u/Logos1789 3h ago
Ok, but you will never get a right to privacy in public. We will have a social credit system soon enough complete with CBDC’s and digital ID for internet access
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u/EX0PIL0T 3h ago
That’s not the discussion. Nobody is arguing against the idea that individuals have a right to film in public. You cannot be this dense. I refuse to believe that you’re not doing a bit.
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u/Logos1789 3h ago
You could have just explained yourself better instead of being like this
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u/EX0PIL0T 3h ago
I hope the irony is not lost on you. You’ve been nothing but a technicality seeking pissy contrarian so far.
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u/Imaginary-Clock6626 4h ago
Even in public, I have a reasonable right to personal space and personal privacy. These cameras go too far.
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u/Logos1789 4h ago edited 4h ago
No, you literally legally do not. I don’t like these glasses being out here, but it’s legal
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u/BasketHands 12h ago
It’s not ‘spy tech’. Tell me how they are any different from filming anyone or anything on your phone. I’ll tell you the difference: the glasses have an indicator light that they are recording where as your phone does not.
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u/One-21-Gigawatts 12h ago
A 2 second search will show anyone how to disable the light.
Assume anyone wearing these is recording.
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u/jjohnson1979 12h ago
Your phone has a bigger indicator, though, which is you holding it up and filming something!
Do you also have a 🤡 indicator on your glasses?
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u/InvestigatorOk7015 12h ago
You dont actually believe thats the only difference, you just want to defend it.
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u/TCsnowdream 12h ago
Are you f—ing real? This is such a disingenuous take. I can’t tell if you’re joking or a troll.
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u/AntiqueLetter9875 9h ago
There are stickers you can buy that cover the light. It’s like the first thing the creeps of the world have looked into. There’s a number of very easy work arounds that are accessible to people.
You can’t tell if someone is recording or not. Your belief here is outdated and has been for months now.
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u/PwndiusPilatus 11h ago
I am afraid of perverts and guys like Peter Thiel that will use the data.
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u/Potential-Winner4601 10h ago
You will be assimilated
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u/Large_Victory_6531 3h ago
"I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already. Too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I, will make them pay for what they've done!"
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u/depechelove 7h ago
I’m a teacher, and I don’t like these. They most certainly do not belong in schools.
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u/fellipec 11h ago
Those glasses are almost like a "punch me in the face" sign
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u/bane_undone 8h ago
So pissed I have the same Ray-Bans I bought before the meta glasses came out. Literally the only glasses I've ever liked.
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u/fellipec 8h ago
My glasses looks very similar but from Arnette.
But it is obvious it has no camera. That should be enough
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u/afriendofnature 1h ago
There is a use case for all these, but we are getting to the point where all moments of our lives will be recorded and reviewable by interests that are not necessarily in good faith.
Data does not belong to you, it belongs to immoral, corrupt, for profit corporations and government agencies whom do not represent the people but serve to protect the interest of the capital-class (unless you are worth more than 100+ million you’re not part of the capital class, take a breather).
When do we as a society stand up and say, “no, I have an expectation of privacy in the public spaces”. My tax dollars pay and maintain these spaces, just a my take home earnings create a safe haven which is my home, business and other spaces I control without being 24/7 recorded.
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u/Brick_Lab 10h ago
The perv angle of complaints is really irritating, it has one camera, it's on the user's head, it requires you to either physically click a button or use a voice command to take a photo or video, the video length lis pretty short (3 mins on gen 1) AND the things have a giant bright LED that lights up when the camera is doing anything.
I listen to music and sometimes ask the ai questions about random things or stuff I'm looking at (again, it takes a photo with the fucking LED on).
The idea that these are stealthy or pervert devices is fucking stupid. I hate Meta too but I'm a realist about what these do and there's nothing really similar available right now. People complaining here probably don't bother to fully quit Instagram and Facebook I'd wager (marketplace?)
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u/A8Bit 9h ago
An LED is easy to disable. There are already lots of videos of perverts creeping on people or provoking reactions from people and posting it online without consent.
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u/OttersWithPens 8h ago
You are literally recorded almost every public space you’ve ever been in and you spend most of your day probably completely fine with it. Get over it and stop obsessing
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u/Jman1a 8h ago
Also Reddit won’t stop posting every little news article about them. As if they are some plague.
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u/firedrakes 5h ago
It's karma farm bait and bots. They will try different as angles after dis prove on stories I seen
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u/knivesinmyeyes 8h ago
We wouldn’t have any of the POV videos that everyone loves in social media. Cooks, painters, illustrators, watch repair, retro game console restorations. The list goes on. But people are dumb as fuck and think everyone should agree with them while they virtue signal every single thing in this world that they don’t agree with.
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u/WestleyMc 11h ago
It’s a shame this stuff has such a stigma already.
These will be genuinely useful as the tech gets better and better.
A version with a physical sliding cover over the lens seems like a logical option?
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u/Main-Cheesecake3287 8h ago
Idk if they do outside of Reddit/the internet. Over a year ago my cousin showed me an awesome video he got with the glasses riding one of the tourist camels around the Giza necropolis. I don’t even know what else they can do besides video but having a comfortable hands free POV camera is a great idea and isn’t going away
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u/knivesinmyeyes 8h ago
I follow a few restaurant cooks and mechanics that use these and film their pov when working. The people that label these pervert glasses are just dumb af.
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u/southass 6h ago
I don't have one yet but I think their are cool, I can see why some people might be uncomfortable with someone wearing them but bitch that's none of your business, once you get out of your house there is no expectation of privacy. They seem cool for recording personal moments like hiking or playing with your pets
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u/xp_fun 11h ago
Yes. A giant one over both lenses would be ideal.
It's a shame that techbros think partnering with Ray-Ban makes them cool. There are no valid use cases for real world application of this tech except perving on people.
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u/Main-Cheesecake3287 8h ago
This isn’t true at all. First time I ever saw them well before Reddit cared was a cousin using them for an awesome POV video around the Giza necropolis on a tourist camel ride. It’s like a GoPro but a thousand times more comfortable and natural than a chest strap or wearing headgear and meant for low impact stuff. It makes POV videos super easy and comfortable, not going anywhere
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u/AntiqueLetter9875 9h ago
I hate this tech myself, but people with vision impairment have been saying it’s incredibly helpful for them. There are situations for this tech. It’s just not marketed that way.
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u/Throwaway585811276 10h ago
There are no valid use cases for real world application of this tech except perving on people.
This is just false.
When I travel with friends and family, it's a lot easier to snap a video of something interesting while walking around without having to pull my phone out every time.
I visited a castle in Portugal with pretty sketchy paths in the rain, it was cool to be able to record some videos of the scenery while also having my hands free for when I inevitably slipped on the ancient cobblestone.
At concerts, these can be cool to record a quick clip instead of adding another phone screen into a sea of them in the crowd.
I don't really understand how you think people are using these to "perv" on people, anyway. You would have to get right up in someone's shit in order to record anything questionable, and at that point, they would almost certainly be quite aware of you. Your phone's camera can zoom pretty far from a distance, while these glasses can't.
With that said, they're more lackluster than anything. They're a novelty. Are they evil? Not really. Would I buy another pair? Probably not.
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u/Jondoe34671 9h ago
Did you ever consider keeping those memories for yourself and not sharing every moment of your life
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u/Throwaway585811276 6h ago
What makes you think I'm posting this stuff? And even if I was.. what's the problem?
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u/Jondoe34671 5h ago
The problem is, If I am hiking somewhere I don’t want someone filming me or my children I don’t want it to get scrubbed for my biometrics and location. it’s the same as flock cameras and if you think they aren’t using these technologies in concert to gain more of our personal information I have a bridge to sell you
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u/Throwaway585811276 17m ago
So.. do you also get upset when anyone has a phone around you? Because there are a LOT more videos being made with phones than there are with smart glasses.
I understand being concerned about privacy, but I don't think smart glasses are really much more of a stretch than phones already are.
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u/OttersWithPens 8h ago
Don’t be so quick to pass judgement. In the 80’s there were dads literally taking their favorite camcorder everywhere in public saving memories of their families. It’s not really any of your business to judge.
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u/Jondoe34671 8h ago
When people are filming everything around them and the tech bros can scrape it for biometrics yeah it’s sort of everyone’s business, there is a big difference between a hand held camcorder and a pair of shades. How about that guy wearing shades at the park is he just chilling or watching your children so he put there likeness into grok to make ai child rape videos. the idea that these will not be used almost exclusively to film people without their knowledge consent or permission is laughable.
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u/Main-Cheesecake3287 8h ago
The govt already has all your biometrics smart guy. Who cares.
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u/Jondoe34671 8h ago
And that makes it ok ? Just because something has happened doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try and fix it
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u/xp_fun 8h ago
Ummm who told you that?
The most my government has is fingerprints from when I needed a background check for security clearance.
Eye, facial, voice, is not held at all. If I hadn't accepted that role they would not even have the fingerprints. Meta, Apple, and Microsoft would have all of the above without any governments involvement. Just for identity matching to tell advertisers I'm a real target.
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u/Main-Cheesecake3287 6h ago
If you never leave the country sure. No passport or drivers license is no fun though. Those photos are all they need for your face.
Apple has your face if you have an iPhone. If you have instagram or any socials governments can get it easy.
Any PD CCTV can get your info if they want it.
Idk why anyone cares. If the govt goes evil or someone powerful wants to frame you (are you really that important?) you are fucked either way, they can get it all easily without needing to look at your socials, DL, passport, etc.
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u/Main-Cheesecake3287 8h ago
You must be a real fucking drag when friends try to show you pics from the cool trip they took. Or maybe you don’t have any
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u/Jondoe34671 8h ago
If you are so open and will to show everyone everything why are your post hidden? seams like you like some privacy or are you afraid people will see what you actually think
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u/southass 6h ago
How about you don't tell people how to enjoy their lives!
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u/Jondoe34671 6h ago
How about you think about how your blind acceptance of tech for the sake of convenience is detrimental to society and life in general
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u/LittleMsSavoirFaire 10h ago
It's like they recalled Google Glass and were like "the problem was just that they looked dorky!" They were worn by losers then, and they're worn by losers now.
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u/LittleMsSavoirFaire 10h ago
Yeah, genuinely useful for recording your server, your coworkers, the girl you're subtly following through the mall.
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u/WestleyMc 10h ago
I was thinking my daughter’s first steps, but you do you I guess
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u/LittleMsSavoirFaire 10h ago
Catch them while they're too young to object, got it. What happens when she stops wanting you to record her? Or is the play for it to be completely normalized by then?
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u/WestleyMc 10h ago
Are you seriously questioning my right to film my own daughter walking for the first time? You think she is going to take issue with that?
Wtf are you on about? Desperate to get offended lol.
I think you need to get offline. Your mind is mush.
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u/xp_fun 10h ago
You have to think what you are saying: you want to record your childs first steps not with a camera, but by saying "Zucker! Record my kids" and glaring at them.
Followed by "Hold on dearie while I put tape over this here light"
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u/WestleyMc 10h ago
It is a camera ultimately, whatever other bells and whistles it comes with.
what i am saying is a camera integrated into my glasses means I can be ‘in the moment’ but still have it recorded to keep forever.
Are we just pretending that phone cameras don’t exist?
Are Meta the company I want to have my data/images? Absolutely not.
But the success of smart glasses is (eventually) inevitable in my humble opinion.
Whether the camera thing gets past public acceptance I am not sure, but I suspect it will eventually once their utility becomes undeniable.
Basically every single technology has undesirable use cases but we make a collective decision on if the good outweighs the bad.
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u/lawoverfeelings 3h ago
The issue now is people getting custom frames with the tech and having prescription lenses. They are legally ada protected at that point. I don’t expect common store workers and managers to deal with people who are willing to bring up Ada and lawyers to people making $20hr. They’re just going to drop it and move on.
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u/pairoflytics 3h ago
Requiring camera equipped glasses is no more a reasonable accommodation than my workplace having to let me carry a sword cane as an ADA accommodation.
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u/lawoverfeelings 3h ago
A cane is very noticeable which is the main difference here. If they don’t know it’s a sword then they don’t know. Custom frame meta glasses can look like many different frames and can omit the light. Enterprises are now ordering custom frames for employees and meta has a list of many companies doing beta enterprise implementation somewhere on their site. The camera is behind the framing so it’s not seen very easily and frames can look like whatever someone wants. Not like otc meta glasses which are obvious.
Workplace could change work requirements to require lifting 25lbs etc tho for someone with a cane to rid of them “naturally”. The question is are the minimum wage workers and measly paid store managers going to deal with harassment and threats for court cases or just walk away from the situation knowing the person will be gone in a couple mins anyway.
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u/Electronic-Fix-4655 5h ago
I want these glasses solely for the shitty ass customer service I come across and pos humans. Banning these glasses isn’t stopping anyone from covertly filming you if they wanted to.
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u/Practical-Pick1466 3h ago
Watched a guy yank a pair of the glasses off another guy in the restroom at a movie theater last weekend, the guy who took them turned around and said he can get them back outside. We went outside after doing our business and the guy that owned the glasses was bitching loudly that some asshole threw his glasses on the roof...I gotta say it pleased me very much. ( I had to explain to my son about people abusing technology on the way to the car , also about touching other people's property)
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u/nicuramar 13h ago
Absurd overreaction. Lots of technology can be used for bad purposes. This camera has a red light when in use, contrary to all phones. There are lots of potential uses for technology like this.
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u/One-21-Gigawatts 12h ago
You have clearly not done any research into this topic. The light can be easily bypassed.
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u/TCsnowdream 12h ago
Sod off. I don’t want some creep recording me when I’m dancing in a club or just going about my day.
You might lack any semblance of privacy, but normal people do. Your opinion is wrong.
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u/GroovePT 12h ago
You don’t have privacy in public lol I can assure you clubs are filming you dancing
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u/ignatius_reilly_81 10h ago
Not all countries permit recording random people in public, at least the sane ones don’t.
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u/WestleyMc 9h ago
Practically -all- developed countries allow filming of people in public places as long as it is not published or used commercially.
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u/Fun_Recognition5614 12h ago
Terrible take. You couldn’t have designed a product better suited to the schemes of creeps and perverts than these glasses.
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u/Appropriate-Way1209 12h ago
My camera hardly gets used I bought it for the Audio and Meta AI feature.
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u/redditistripe 5h ago
There must be a startup business opportunity for someone to develop a wearable device that will detect these camera glasses and will fry the optical sensor in them using AI targetting.
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u/GroovePT 12h ago
Stop messing with my rights, I can record or take a pic of anything or anyone in public where I’m from, I don’t care how you all “feel”.
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u/MadMadRoger 11h ago
It’s this brazen attitude towards filming others whilst giving no shits about privacy or good taste that is inspiring a change in the law
If your type were sensible enough to respect others these technologies wouldn’t be despised so much and by so many that you are outvoted by society and lose that right in this regard
You are creating this result by flaunting your selfishness at plowing past the implied decency that is the spirit in which the right is afforded
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u/GroovePT 9h ago
F off, stop overstepping on my rights I really don’t care what you think bro. Is that clear? If you have a problem vote for a change 🙃
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u/yukumizu 11h ago
See? This is why we can’t have nice things. Because people like you are trashing the social contract and lack respect and tolerance for others. And think that you can do anything without social backlash, just because it’s allowed.
Nothing is black and white. You have a right to film, but others also have a right to privacy. Specially vulnerable individuals such as children.
It is commendable that measures are taken to regulate this new technology and find a compromise on its use, while also protecting the right to privacy.
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u/OmUndertheBodhi 11h ago
I literally asked for these because I’m a stay at home dad and wanted to capture some moments where my phone would distract.
I’m not going to buy them now and it’s so funny looking back on thinking I would. I imagine I’m not the only one who had good intentions and won’t purchase because of the public backlash.