At this point, if you wear smart glasses, you can expect to be unwelcome in at least some locations, especially ones that are closed off to the general public, like courts, schools, and cruise liners. If you’re in Germany, though, things might be a little different, and by different I mean a lot more strict.
According to a report from European news site Euractiv, Hamburg, Germany’s parliament has adopted a motion to ban smart glasses in some public spaces, including on public transit and at public pools. The adopted motion comes from a proposal made in July, seemingly in response to incidents where Hamburg residents were recorded without their consent. One instance involved a woman being recorded with smart glasses near Alster Lake without her knowledge or consent. That video was allegedly shared on social media and was watched thousands of times, according to a representative for Hamburg’s Green Party.
While there have been quite a few smart glasses bans across the globe, including New York State banning smart glasses across the entire court system and popular restaurants and pubs doing so in the U.K., Hamburg’s step is particularly significant given the public (and far-reaching) nature of the banned locations. Not only that, but it appears lawmakers in Hamburg aren’t just content with banning smart glasses in their city; they’re also calling for federal regulation that would regulate devices countrywide, with an emphasis on preventing integration with facial recognition.
For context, Meta, the biggest purveyor of smart glasses right now, has shown clear interest in coupling its hardware with facial recognition. In June, Wired found latent code in the Meta AI app for some kind of facial recognition feature that hasn’t yet been released.
Political heat has been rising around the use of smart glasses. Advocates in Germany have already lodged a criminal complaint, Norway is considering tighter regulations, and there’s an ongoing class action lawsuit against Meta in the U.S. over its use of users’ videos to train AI. Those videos are sent to human contractors, some of whom reported viewing sensitive material, like people having sex, using the bathroom, and banking information.
Where all of this skepticism and pushback will go is anyone’s guess, but if public bans like Hamburg’s are any indication, the list of places you’re allowed to use smart glasses will not be a growing one.
