Norway moves to ban “pervert” glasses

Norway is the latest country to express concerns over the spread of  AI-enabled smart glasses labeled by some as “pervert” glasses and is planning a temporary ban on in some public places.

The government is planning a bill to prevent the use of the camera-enabled spectacles in parks, beaches, museums, shopping centers, schools, daycare centers, healthcare facilities, gyms and public events, although private use would still be allowed.

There is already a growing patchwork of restrictions on the use of the glasses including in UK and US courtrooms and in pubs, cinemas and restaurants where privacy fears have been raised.

Norway’s digital affairs minister said he was “concerned that powerful new technology could allow people to be photographed, filmed or audio-recorded without their knowledge”.

“We do not want a society where people worry about being recorded without their knowledge, photographed or filmed in places and situations where they are accustomed to not being monitored,” he said.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta sells “smart” versions of Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses that allow users to film, take photos, make phone calls, play music and execute AI prompts. It has sold at least 9m pairs of the Ray-Ban versions since the start of 2023.