Australia’s attorney general raises alarms over the growing use of discreet smartglasses, warning that their design could facilitate covert recording, harassment, and surveillance, prompting calls for updated privacy laws.
Australia’s attorney general has raised fresh privacy concerns over smartglasses, warning that the growing use of the devices could make it easier to record people without their knowledge. Michelle Rowland has written to the Privacy Commissioner saying the technology could be used for inappropriate recording, harassment, surveillance and other harmful conduct, with women and children potentially among those most affected.
Rowland said the discreet design of smartglasses set them apart from other consumer devices because it may not be obvious when a wearer is filming or taking images. In her statement, she said privacy was essential to dignity and personal freedom and argued that privacy law needs to keep pace with digital technology. The government is already working on the next stage of privacy reform, and her intervention suggests smartglasses may become part of that broader review.
The concerns come as wearable technology becomes more common and as regulators face pressure to decide how existing privacy rules should apply to devices that can capture audio, video and images in public and semi-public settings. The issue is likely to sharpen debate over how far governments should go in limiting the use of consumer technology that can be used legitimately but also presents obvious risks of covert surveillance.
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