Councils act on smart glasses as federal lawmakers fall behind

Councils in Australia are moving faster than federal and state governments to address the threats to privacy from "smart glasses" which connect to a phone so what the camera on the glasses sees can be recorded.

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The flashiest version comes from Meta in conjunction with Ray-Ban at a price of around $700. Kmart pulled its less-capable, less-stylish version at $89 after privacy concerns.

Those concerns about what opponents have dubbed "pervert glasses" have become clear to a string of councils in Australia.

The latest to ban them in swimming pools is Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council just outside Canberra "to help protect the privacy and safety of residents and visitors".

The council follows Canterbury-Bankstown and Brisbane City Council. Melbourne's Yarra City Council has banned them from playgrounds, childcare centres and gyms.

But the Albanese government has been slower to react. Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said last month: "Smart glasses can raise legitimate privacy and security concerns, particularly because of their ability to record and capture information, and we need clear and consistent guidance for public servants."

So, the government was "seeking advice".

Last month federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland praised the councils, saying, "Businesses know that good privacy is good business."

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. Picture Reuters

The arrival of these glasses really is a matter of concern.

There are already documented cases of women being filmed without their consent. It's true that Meta's version has a small flashing light when it's recording, but it's easy to see how that light might be missed in a busy sunny street - or a busy sunny swimming pool.

Other countries are moving faster.

In the United Kingdom, a large pub chain and cinemas have already said "no". Camera-fitted glasses have been banned from courts in Britain and in New York.

The Norwegian government was planning to ban them in public gathering places like parks, beaches, museums and shopping centres.

It should be said that there are good uses for the glasses. Imagine a tradie on a roof who needs to video his work, hands-free as he does it. People with very poor eyesight, including the blind, can use apps that translate visual information like nearby shops into sound. The glasses see the surroundings and translate the pictures into audio, so helping a blind person navigate busy streets.

But it remains true that the glasses may well be the tool of choice for pervs, creeps and stalkers. Pornographers will no doubt love them.

Apart from Kmart bowing to strong consumer resistance, Meta has also now introduced "smart glasses" without a camera, offering only the ability to record sound. They don't automatically record all the time but do so when the wearer tells them to. This may also raise concerns about surreptitious recording, and the camera glasses are still being marketed vigorously.

The tech bros in Silicon Valley come up with wonderful new ideas and trumpet the advantages - and then the disadvantages emerge, but too late to stop.

Australia needs to get ahead of this trend before it's too late. There are too many questions about smart glasses for their take-up by society to be left only to the profit-maximising desires of very rich companies.

Australian consumers are showing some resistance, so the government should listen. We elect our government. We do not elect the billionaires of Silicon Valley.

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