‘Don’t be a creep’: The privacy debate behind a pair of glasses

Exclusive: Whether you realise it or not, if you’ve spent any time on social media over the past few months, you’ve probably watched a wave of content filmed using smart glasses.

The trend has spiked, with creators across the world using the tech to capture footage quite literally through their own eyes.

However, the rise of the new tech has sparked fierce debate online.

Many are pointing to a grey area surrounding privacy, as Australians face the prospect of being recorded without their knowledge or consent.

While government officials and privacy experts warn of potential risks, content creators say those dangers only arise if the technology is used irresponsibly.

‘Don’t be a creep’

US travel content creator Brent Timm told nine.com.au that smart glasses offer a level of immersion that traditional cameras simply can’t match.

“It gives the viewer a voyeuristic sense of actually being there in the moment,” Timm said.

For the past seven years, he has created content exploring the world and documenting his travels, amassing millions of views and followers in the process.

“I use it as a vessel to transport people to places they might never visit, or have always wanted to see.”

However, Timm acknowledged the technology’s darker side, noting he has seen creators pay extra to tamper with or black out the recording light.

He is now urging others to use wearable tech ethically.

“My message to anybody using these glasses is don’t be a creep,” he said.

“I see a lot of terribly creepy content online, specifically targeting women, and your life can change in a moment.”

While Timm’s own content across his years of travel has drawn warm responses, such as locals in Pakistan welcoming his recordings, he warned that other countries take a much harder stance.

In Saudi Arabia, for instance, he has heard of travellers having the expensive devices confiscated.

To curb non-consensual filming while the tech is still in its infancy, Timm suggests adopting laws similar to Japan’s, where phone cameras are legally required to make an audible shutter sound when taking a photo.

“So many lives have been ruined because of these glasses,” he warned, stressing that no matter where he travels, he makes sure those around him know they are on camera.

Outrage as budget smart glasses sell out

Fresh debate was ignited earlier this month about privacy risks after a low-cost version of Meta’s smart glasses available at Kmart sold out almost instantly.

The Anko-branded glasses, simply called “camera glasses”, were completely sold out in-store and online as of last Tuesday, costing just $89, a fraction of the price of Meta models retailing for between $400 and $800.

Last year, Ray-Ban’s Meta glasses sold more than seven million pairs worldwide.

A petition demanding that Kmart “take the Anko surveillance glasses off the shelf” was launched shortly after the announcement and has since garnered more than 44,150 signatures.

The campaign’s founder, Gina Martin, said that “non-consensual surveillance should not be normalised” and is urging the retailer to pull the product from its shelves.

“Early reports of misuse have centred on women and children,” the petition said.

“A TikToker in the US was caught filming women in public with smart glasses and uploading the footage without their consent.

“Parents commenting on Kmart’s social media have raised the same question repeatedly: nothing prevents someone wearing the glasses into a change room, a swimming pool, a playground or a school gate.”

Government steps in as consent concern grows

While some argue that wearing smart glasses is no different from holding up a smartphone in public, experts warn that the technology fundamentally alters public privacy.

Dr Fareed Kaviani from Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology said that owners and non-owners of smart glasses have different expectations.

“Owners tended to regard smart glasses 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.

“Unlike a phone held up to record, smart glasses can capture photos, video and conversations while looking like ordinary eyewear.

Kaviani thinks that the gap in consent could create tension in workplaces and other public spaces.

“People nearby may not know when they are being recorded or where that material will be shared.”

Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has also voiced her concern with the technology, noting on July 7 that smart glasses may carry privacy risks 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.

She said that the government is working on privacy reforms to ensure laws are up to scratch with the emerging wave of wearable cameras.

“That’s why the Albanese government has written to the Privacy Commissioner, raising widespread community concerns about the potential impacts of ‘smart glasses’, particularly for women and children.”

‘I want to capture elusive moments’

Magician Adam Axford told nine.com.au he always gets consent before sharing content with his social media audience of more than 57,000 followers.

The award-winning magician’s videos, which have garnered millions of views, show him walking around Sydney performing magic tricks with locals, capturing their raw reactions through smart glasses.

“I want to capture elusive moments,” he said.

“How often do you get to experience the world through the perspective of a magician?

“We need more perspectives authentically on this world, rather than things that are constantly being misconstrued or staged or faked.”

To ensure transparency, Axford strives to make it clear when he is filming, whether by telling people he’s approaching or pointing to the flashing light on his Meta glasses, and he thinks other creators should do the same.

“If you’re not going to verbally alert someone, they should at least be aware, whether you’re pointing to [the glasses] or gesturing,” he explained.

“I’m pointing to [the flashing light on the glasses], you might not see that on camera because it’s from my point of view.”

He added that if anyone asks for a video to be removed after the fact, he takes it down immediately, regardless of how many views it has amassed.

“They don’t need to give me an excuse.”

As wearable technology continues to outpace Australian law, the debate over smart glasses will hang in the balance of creative freedom and everyday public privacy.