Norway Considers Ban on Smart Glasses That Record People Without Consent

Norway Takes Aim at Smart Glasses Privacy Concerns

Norway is considering strict regulations on smart glasses, potentially banning AI-powered facial recognition features that could enable surveillance and consent in public spaces violations. Digital Minister Karianne Tung announced the government's intention to regulate camera-equipped wearable technology more tightly, citing mounting concerns about consumer privacy and the invasion of privacy enabled by devices like Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses1

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. The move positions Norway among the first countries to legislate specifically for these controversial devices, which critics have dubbed pervert glasses due to widespread misuse of the glasses to record people without consent.

Meta's Name Tag Feature Sparks Regulatory Action

The regulatory push comes as Meta reportedly has facial recognition technology ready for deployment in its smart glasses. Code discovered in Meta's AI app earlier this year revealed an internal feature called Name Tag, designed to identify people captured by the glasses' camera and alert wearers when someone is recognized3

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. Finn Lützow-Holm Myrstad, head of digital policy at the Norwegian Consumer Council, warned that Meta already has this technology ready to go, and it is only a matter of time before it is rolled out in the glasses1

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. After the American Civil Liberties Union called the feature a red line society must not cross, Meta reportedly abandoned the feature in June, though the underlying technology remains built and awaiting potential rollout2

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Expert Group to Address Regulatory and Ethical Challenges

Digital Minister Karianne Tung plans to appoint an expert group to advise the government on protecting consumers from the technology, though no timetable has been set for the regulations2

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. Tung emphasized that artificial intelligence is increasingly being combined with cameras and microphones built into glasses, earbuds, caps, and other items used in everyday life, stating that Norway must avoid this equipment being used to monitor other people in public spaces1

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. The minister is also urging private companies to develop their own policies while official regulations are being drafted. The Norwegian Consumer Council has called on retailers to halt sales of the devices until there is legal clarity2

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Privacy Violations Fuel Growing Backlash

The devices have faced mounting criticism over covert filming incidents. A BBC investigation in January found women were being secretly filmed with Ray-Ban Meta glasses after being approached in public, with the footage posted to TikTok2

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. Swedish newspapers reported in February that Nairobi-based contractors hired to train Meta's AI had reviewed recordings of people undressing, using bathrooms and having sex. The ACLU and 75 other groups urged Meta in April to abandon facial recognition in the glasses, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation in May2

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. Meta patched the devices in July after users found ways to defeat the light that signals recording, and the company claimed it had bricked thousands of pairs that had been tampered with by nefarious users blocking the flashing LED light1

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International Response and Future Implications

Several European countries including France, Germany, and the Netherlands have considered banning Meta's smart glasses in response to the planned facial recognition feature1

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. Comic Con organizer Monopoly Events and the DEF CON security conference have both barred the glasses from their venues, and Police Scotland opened an investigation in July into a TikToker accused of filming people with a pair2

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. Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo sold out of its deliberately camera-free Normal F***ing Sunglasses in under a week, highlighting consumer demand for alternatives. Myrstad emphasized that banning facial recognition would not stop wearers from filming people covertly, calling the potential for abuse of the technology enormous2

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. With Meta having access to facial data of billions of users worldwide through Facebook and Instagram, the regulatory and ethical challenges surrounding these devices extend far beyond Norway's borders3

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