Bass Coast Shire councillors will debate on Wednesday whether they should ban smart glasses that can record footage from council facilities including pools and libraries.

What’s happening? As summer looms and smart glasses become cheaper, there are concerns about the technology being used to film people without their knowledge.

“These glasses have recently been made significantly more affordable and there are instructions online which show users how to remove the ‘recording indicator light’ on these devices,” Councillor Mat Morgan said in his motion to council. 

“Smart glasses pose a risk to general community safety, personal data security, deepfake pornography and other forms of AI facilitated abuse. Everyone has the right to feel comfortable and safe in Bass Coast.”

The motion seeks to have council staff prepare a new council policy to prohibit the use of smart glasses with recording capabilities in all council run facilities, and to prepare a new policy to be put to councillors by no later than December 31.

“There are rapidly growing concerns in our community about smart glasses being used to covertly record people without their consent or knowledge,” Morgan said in his motion.

What are smart glasses? They are wearable eyewear almost indistinguishable from regular glasses that contain an overlay display on top of the glass, allowing users to check the weather, look at images and get text notifications.

In June, the tech company Meta released a new lower-cost version of these smart glasses that come with the ability to record video and audio.

Due to tutorials online showing users how to disable the recording light, the glasses have become a controversial privacy issue, with Yarra Council in Melbourne banning them in council operated facilities such as pools and libraries last week. 

Morgan said “similar action has been adopted by Brisbane City Council in August, sending a clear message to the community”.

If the motion is successful, Bass Coast Shire will also write to the federal Minister for Communications, Anika Wells, requesting the Privacy Act be updated so filming, storing or sharing footage from smart glasses without consent is in breach of the act.

Cover image credit: Carlos Barria, Reuters.