AI glasses were supposed to make everyday life more convenient. Now, they could make it harder to enter a school, gym or changing room. Norway is preparing temporary legislation that could restrict the use of AI-enabled smart glasses in places where people have a strong expectation of privacy, including schools, healthcare facilities and gyms with changing rooms and showers.
The move comes as camera-equipped glasses become increasingly common and concerns grow over whether people can tell when they are being photographed, filmed or recorded.
Norway's government says it is worried that people could be recorded without their knowledge as wearable technology becomes more powerful.
Norway Wants To Restrict AI Glasses In Sensitive Places
Norway's Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance announced plans on 5 October to propose a temporary ban on AI glasses in selected locations. The proposed restrictions could cover a surprisingly broad range of places.
They may include schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs, as well as healthcare facilities, swimming pools, gyms and other locations with changing rooms and showers. The government is also considering restrictions in public spaces such as parks, beaches, museums, shopping centres and public events.
Universities and other higher-education institutions could also be included. However, this is not a total ban on AI glasses.
Norway says people would still be able to use the technology privately and in locations where other people are not at risk of being recorded without their consent. The government also plans to consider exemptions for vulnerable groups and socially beneficial uses.
Why Are AI Glasses Causing Privacy Fears?
Unlike a smartphone, a pair of smart glasses can look like ordinary eyewear. That creates a problem for privacy: someone standing nearby may not know whether the wearer is simply listening to music or using the camera and microphone.
Norway's digitalisation minister, Torgeir Micaelsen, said the government was concerned about technology that could allow people to be photographed, filmed or recorded without knowing it.
The proposed temporary restrictions are intended to give authorities time to examine the technology and develop longer-term rules.
Norway also plans to establish an expert group to examine wearable technology and advise on permanent regulation.
Meta's Smart Glasses Are At The Centre Of The Debate
Meta has been one of the biggest companies pushing camera-equipped smart glasses into the mainstream through its Ray-Ban and Oakley products. The glasses can take photographs, record video, make calls, play music and interact with AI features.
Meta says its camera-equipped glasses have a visible LED light that flashes when the camera is being used. The company also says the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with the recording indicator.
But privacy concerns have continued despite those safeguards. The concern is not necessarily limited to whether the glasses are technically recording. It is also about whether people around the wearer can reasonably know what the device is doing.
Schools And Changing Rooms Are The Biggest Flashpoints
The proposed Norwegian restrictions highlight two environments where covert recording could be particularly sensitive: children's spaces and places where people change clothes.
Schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs could fall under the proposed restrictions because children are considered particularly vulnerable. Gyms and swimming facilities are another obvious flashpoint because changing rooms and showers provide an expectation of privacy that does not exist in most public spaces.
Healthcare facilities could also be covered. The Norwegian government says it wants to prevent a situation in which people become worried that they might secretly be recorded in places where they previously felt comfortable being themselves.
Britain Is Already Restricting Smart Glasses
Norway's proposal comes as the UK and other countries and businesses introduce their own restrictions. In England and Wales, camera-equipped smart glasses have been prohibited in courts. British cinemas have also been introducing restrictions on camera-enabled glasses because of concerns about privacy and film piracy.
Some UK restaurants and pubs have also moved against the devices. That means Norway's proposed legislation would not be the first attempt to restrict smart glasses. What makes it significant is the potential for a national framework covering multiple types of public locations.
