Investigation launched into company behind tech used in Kmart smart glasses

Australia’s privacy regulator has launched an investigation into a company behind the technology used in the $89 smart glasses that recently sold out online in Australia.

HeyCyan, an app used in Anko’s smart glasses, which sold out at Kmart in August, as well as in other low-cost products sold on Big W Marketplace and Amazon, is at the centre of the probe after the Chinese company that manufactured it failed to respond to questions over privacy and data storage concerns.

Australia’s Privacy Commissioner, Carly Kind, said the failure of Shenzhen Qingcheng, based in China, to respond to questions about how videos and pictures are recorded and stored meant there was a risk the privacy of Australians could not be guaranteed.

The HeyCyan app helps smart devices, such as smart glasses, connect to other devices using bluetooth, as well as recording, listening to music, and answering calls.

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“I have no assurance that it is protecting personal data of Australians as required by the Privacy Act,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The failure of Shenzhen Qingcheng to respond to the OAIC’s inquiries raises concerns about the entity’s practices, procedures and systems to protect the personal information it holds.

“In those circumstances I considered it was important to commence an investigation so that I could utilise my full range of powers to examine this issue, including issuing compulsory information gathering notices.”

Kind had reached out to several manufacturers and distributors of smart glasses in August, with the aim of uncovering how data recorded by the controversial devices was stored and who would have access to it.

Smart glasses sold on Big W’s official website do not use HeyCyan technology.

Nine.com.au has contacted Wesfarmers, the parent company of Kmart; and Amazon for comment.

Shenzhen Qingcheng, the makers of HeyCyan, as well as Meta, Google, and Kmart, were contacted by the information commissioner, but the Chinese company did not respond to enquiries.

Kind said she had written to other Australian retailers of devices that use the HeyCyan app, expressing her concerns about its risk to Australians’ privacy.

“The Australian community has expressed its concern about the proliferation of smart glasses and other surveillance wearables,” she said.

“Given the particular risks the OAIC has identified with the HeyCyan app, I would urge responsible retailers to consider whether it is appropriate to continue making these devices available.”

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When Anko’s smart glasses, sold as “camera glasses”, went on sale in August, they sold out quickly on Kmart’s website.

However, the proliferation of cheaper smart glasses has caused experts to raise the alarm about privacy concerns and Australians being filmed without their consent.

“It’s not possible to get consent because you’re recording everyone around you all the time,” Tom Sulston, head of policy at Digital Rights Watch, told nine.com.au in August.