EU watchdog urges smart glasses to clearly signal when recording

Advisory comes amid growing concern about the devices being used to secretly record girls and women.

Bystanders should be able to 'clearly understand' when someone is filming or photographing them, says EU watchdog [File: Adam Berry/Getty Images]

The European Union’s data watchdog has called for smart glasses to clearly show when they are recording, saying bystanders have the right to know when they are being photographed or filmed.

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued the non-binding recommendation on Tuesday, amid mounting concern about the devices being used to secretly record girls and women.

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It said the use of smart glasses – which can resemble ordinary glasses but also take photos and videos, make phone calls and translate text when connected to the internet – raises “serious privacy concerns”.

EDPB chair Anu Talus said the glasses should have clear signals when they are recording, such as “bright LED lights, audio signals or voice activation cues, privacy-friendly smartphone notifications, or unique designs”.

“These warnings need to be reliable, hard to ignore, and always up to date,” said Talus. “Even in public spaces, bystanders should clearly understand that someone is filming or photographing them.”

The devices carry greater risks in “sensitive” spaces like schools and hospitals, as well as public spots like beaches, and raised concerns about children who are “more vulnerable to covert or intrusive processing of their personal data”, the EDPB warned.

A visitor tries out augmented reality glasses at an electronics trade fair, in Berlin, Germany September 6, 2024 [File: Adam Berry/Getty Images]

The advisory comes amid campaigns in several European countries to ban or restrict smart glasses over privacy concerns.

Norway’s government said last week it was also worried about privacy invasions and wants a temporary ban on the use of smart glasses in certain public places. The capital Oslo already opted to ban glasses equipped with cameras in schools.

France’s e-Enfance association, which operates the national hotline for victims of online abuse, has also sounded the alarm about videos recorded with camera-equipped glasses and shared online.

Last month, French prosecutors said they had opened a criminal probe ⁠following sexual harassment complaints related to a social media trend of using smart glasses to film women on the street, without their consent, and posting the videos online.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a “Stop Smart Glasses” campaign has launched a petition and call for supporters to contact stores to stop their sale. It reached more than 10,000 signatures, which means the UK government must respond.

鉴于人们越来越担心这些设备被用来秘密录制女孩和妇女的录音，相关警告应运而生。

欧盟监管机构表示，旁观者应该能够“清楚地了解”何时有人在拍摄他们。[图片：Adam Berry/Getty Images]

欧盟数据监管机构呼吁智能眼镜应清晰显示何时正在录像，称旁观者有权知道自己何时被拍照或录像。

欧洲数据保护委员会 (EDPB) 于周二发布了这项不具约束力的建议，此前人们越来越担心这些设备被用来秘密录制女孩和妇女的谈话。

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报告称，智能眼镜的使用（这种眼镜外形类似普通眼镜，但连接互联网后还可以拍照、录像、打电话和翻译文本）引发了“严重的隐私担忧”。

欧洲数据保护委员会主席阿努·塔卢斯表示，眼镜在录制时应该有清晰的信号，例如“明亮的 LED 灯、音频信号或语音激活提示、注重隐私的智能手机通知或独特的设计”。

“这些警告必须可靠、难以忽视，并且始终保持最新，”塔卢斯说。“即使在公共场所，旁观者也应该清楚地知道有人正在拍摄他们。”

欧洲数据保护委员会 (EDPB) 警告称，这些设备在学校、医院等“敏感”场所，以及海滩等公共场所会带来更大的风险，并引发了人们对儿童的担忧，因为儿童“更容易受到秘密或侵入性个人数据处理的影响”。

2024年9月6日，在德国柏林举行的电子产品交易会上，一名参观者正在试戴增强现实眼镜。[图片：Adam Berry/Getty Images]

这份建议出台之际，正值欧洲多个国家因隐私问题发起运动，要求禁止或限制智能眼镜的使用。

挪威政府上周表示，他们也担心隐私受到侵犯，并希望暂时禁止在某些公共场所使用智能眼镜。首都奥斯陆已经禁止在学校使用配备摄像头的眼镜。

法国 e-Enfance 协会运营着全国网络虐待受害者热线，该协会也对使用带摄像头的眼镜录制并在网上分享的视频发出警告。

上个月，法国检察官表示，他们已就社交媒体上出现的一种趋势展开刑事调查，该趋势涉及使用智能眼镜在未经女性同意的情况下拍摄街头女性，并将视频发布到网上，引发性骚扰投诉。

在英国和爱尔兰，一项名为“停止销售智能眼镜”的运动发起了一项请愿活动，呼吁支持者联系商店停止销售智能眼镜。该请愿活动已获得超过1万个签名，这意味着英国政府必须对此作出回应。