ACT eyes smart glasses ban in public schools and pools

Smart glasses, which can allow users to surreptitiously film their surroundings, would be banned in the ACT's public schools and swimming pools under a plan being drawn up by the territory government.

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"The government is increasingly concerned about the privacy and safety implications of smart glasses and other wearable technologies, particularly their ability to record, monitor or identify people without their knowledge or consent," a government spokeswoman said.

"While these technologies can provide benefits, including for accessibility, they also raise important questions about privacy, child safety and the appropriate use of personal information."

The ACT government is concerned about the impact smart glasses are having on privacy at public swimming pools. Picture by Karleen Minney

The ACT had sought "urgent advice" on the devices in government-owned facilities such as schools and public pools, and would take appropriate action, including a ban, she said.

The spokeswoman said privacy, surveillance and recording laws already provided important community protections and the government would consider if the rules needed to be tightened as more people started to use and access wearable technology.

"The ACT will continue to support innovation and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, but not at the expense of community expectations around privacy, safety and accountability," she said.

The Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, which shares a border with the ACT, last week announced it had voted to ban smart glasses in its aquatic centres.

"Council already has rules in place around photography, filming and inappropriate recording activities in our venues. With this new technology, it makes sense to provide clear guidance about when these devices can be used and to make sure everyone remains safe," the council's mayor, Kenrick Winchester, said.

Brisbane, the City of Yarra in Melbourne and Canterbury-Bankstown are among councils that had already banned the technology.

A regulation under the ACT's Public Pools Act already allows the removal of a person who takes photographs without appropriate consent or "uses a mobile phone or recording device within a bathroom or change room area".

In August, the federal Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, said the Commonwealth would not ban the smart glasses outright, but businesses and local councils needed to step up enforcement.

More than 9500 people signed a petition to the House of Representatives calling for an immediate ban on the sale, importation and promotion of the technology.

"Disability advocates and groups and people who are directly impacted in a positive way by this technology also need to have their voices heard in this debate," Ms Rowland said.

"An import ban is a matter that would have consequences across government, including across trade, foreign affairs, and other potential legal obligations that can apply internationally."

ACT Attorney-General Tara Cheyne last month agreed smart glasses were "creepy" and said she was concerned about their potential to record others in public places, but it was slightly easier for councils to impose tighter rules.

Ms Cheyne said the issue was on the ACT government's radar, but that it was slightly easier for councils to impose tighter rules in places like swimming pools to ban the glasses.

"For us, it will depend on exactly the type of venue that people are trying to enter and the behaviours that we're seeing. So we're monitoring our neighbours very closely," Ms Cheyne told ABC radio.

"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," Senator Gallagher said.

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