Smart glasses should automatically blur people’s faces while filming, Australia’s online safety regulator says
Guardian AU
•Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:00:01 GMT
📰 What Happened
Australia's eSafety commissioner published industry advice urging smart glasses companies to automatically blur people's faces in recordings, add clear visual indicators when recording that cannot be disabled or obscured, and avoid identifying members of the public without consent. The regulator warned that while camera glasses such as Meta's Ray-Ban offer accessibility benefits for low-vision or blind people, companies may pit 'accessibility benefits against safety and privacy considerations', citing backlash over women filmed without consent on devices dubbed 'pervert glasses'.
🔍 The Backstory
The advice lands as the federal government faces pressure to act on the technology, with the Greens planning a private member's bill to ban the glasses for 12 months and Brisbane city council moving to ban recording devices including smart glasses from public pools. Kmart's $89 Anko smart glasses sold out across Australia this month, prompting a 'privacy nightmare' warning, and the attorney-general will separately release an exposure draft on privacy reforms. The eSafety commissioner currently has no power to force companies to make the changes.
🎯 Why It Matters
Camera glasses are becoming cheap and mass-market, so these design standards will shape everyone's privacy for years to come. The debate will decide whether Australia bans, restricts or regulates the devices, and highlights how quickly new surveillance technology is outstripping existing privacy law.
Australia's eSafety commissioner published industry advice urging smart glasses companies to automatically blur people's faces in recordings, add clear visual indicators when recording that cannot be disabled or obscured, and avoid identifying members of the public without consent. The regulator warned that while camera glasses such as Meta's Ray-Ban offer accessibility benefits for low-vision or blind people, companies may pit 'accessibility benefits against safety and privacy considerations', citing backlash over women filmed without consent on devices dubbed 'pervert glasses'.
The advice lands as the federal government faces pressure to act on the technology, with the Greens planning a private member's bill to ban the glasses for 12 months and Brisbane city council moving to ban recording devices including smart glasses from public pools. Kmart's $89 Anko smart glasses sold out across Australia this month, prompting a 'privacy nightmare' warning, and the attorney-general will separately release an exposure draft on privacy reforms. The eSafety commissioner currently has no power to force companies to make the changes.
Camera glasses are becoming cheap and mass-market, so these design standards will shape everyone's privacy for years to come. The debate will decide whether Australia bans, restricts or regulates the devices, and highlights how quickly new surveillance technology is outstripping existing privacy law.