Fears smart glasses could lead to secret surveillance of kids, women as Kmart version hits market

Fears that the growing popularity of smartglasses is leading to “pervasive secret surveillance” has prompted the Federal Government to order an investigation into the technology.

Privacy experts sounded the alarm this week after a low-cost version of the glasses, which can take photographs and record vision and audio, sold out nationally.

Kmart’s $89 version are the latest to hit the market, following the launch of the popular Meta Glasses — promoted by celebrity Kylie Jenner — which range from $469 to $860.

Google will launch its own version, Android XR smart glasses, this year and Apple will release its product next year.

National group Digital Rights Watch described the technology as a “covert surveillance regime in a wearable disguise”, placing women and children in particular at risk.

And Federal Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said the proliferation of smartglasses “would fundamentally alter our experience of interpersonal interactions, in both private and public spaces”.

“Without knowing, we could be filmed, recorded or photographed at any time,” she said.

In response, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has asked Ms Kind to investigate the concerns and whether existing privacy laws need to be updated.

“Unlike other forms of technology, smartglasses may be used more discreetly, making it harder to know when you are being recorded,” she said.

Ms Kind said her investigation would include whether new laws were needed because the Privacy Act currently only applies to businesses and government agencies.

“In circumstances where a tech company is receiving and storing personal information collected by surveillance wearables, they’ll have to make sure they’re complying with privacy law,” she said.

“And there are real questions as to whether they will be able to do so.”

Misogynist men are using camera glasses to covertly film women in public for social media clout and to feed the deepfake porn engines that have turned non-consensual sexual imagery into an industry.

She said the trend was worryingly similar to a world depicted in 2013 dystopian novel The Circle, by Dave Eggers, which involved “all-seeing, all-knowing” tech companies promoting wearable surveillance.

Digital Rights Watch head of policy Tom Sulston said the dangers of the technology were already playing out.

“There may be a genuine use case for camera glasses as a visual aid for blind and low-vision people, but that isn’t how they’re being designed, marketed, or sold,” he said.

“Misogynist men are using camera glasses to covertly film women in public for social media clout and to feed the deepfake porn engines that have turned non-consensual sexual imagery into an industry.”

Mr Sulston said Australia’s laws were not prepared for the consequences of the technology, which had quickly become affordable and readily available with recent cut-price models.

“Smartglasses are pervasive secret surveillance, which means there’s no way to consent to it. When someone uses a phone to record you, they’re visible; you can ask the person to stop,” he said.

“Smartglasses are designed to erase that signal and make it easier for the user to covertly record whomever they want.”

Mr Sulston said it was “not an accident” that recording lights on most versions of the technology were “trivial to cover or disconnect.”

Fareed Kaviani, from Monash University’s faculty of information technology, said there was a deep divide between people who used smartglasses and those who didn’t.

“Owners tended to regard smartglasses as useful, fashionable and consistent with their identity. Non-owners were significantly more concerned about privacy, rudeness, inappropriate use and wearers taking advantage of others,” he said.

“A central issue is consent, as smartglasses make recording faster, more continuous and less visible, meaning existing social conventions around asking permission to photograph or record someone will be much harder to maintain.”

Dr Kaviani said clear regulations were needed from the Government on the use of smartglasses before the technology becomes more embedded in daily life.

Ms Rowland said there were significant privacy concerns for women and children.

“Privacy is an essential part of all our lives; it allows us to be who we are with dignity and without fear,” she said.