Norway plans to tighten regulation of smart glasses and is weighing a ban on facial recognition in public spaces, Digitalisation Minister Karianne Tung said on August 25.
In a statement, Tung said artificial intelligence is increasingly being paired with cameras and microphones built into glasses, earbuds, and caps. Norway, she said, "must avoid this equipment being used to monitor other people in public spaces."
She said she would appoint an expert group to advise the government on how to protect consumers from the technology. While rules are being drafted, she also urged public and private organizations to draw up their own guidelines. No timetable has been set.
Consumer advocates back the move
Finn Lützow-Holm Myrstad, head of digital policy at the Norwegian Consumer Council, welcomed the proposal. He said shops should stop selling smart glasses until the law is settled.
Myrstad also said Meta’s facial recognition capability is already built and awaiting rollout. In his view, banning that feature would still not prevent wearers from filming people covertly, and he described the abuse potential as "enormous."
Scrutiny of smart glasses has been building
A BBC investigation published in January found that women were being secretly filmed with Ray-Ban Meta glasses after being approached in public, with the footage later posted to TikTok.
In February, Swedish newspapers reported that Nairobi-based contractors hired to train Meta’s AI had reviewed recordings of people undressing, using bathrooms, and having sex.
In April, the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, and 75 other groups urged Meta to abandon facial recognition in the glasses, saying it was a line society should not cross.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation in May. In July, Meta patched the devices after users found ways to defeat the light designed to signal recording.
Meta has since patented eyewear that recognizes faces and logs what wearers do.
DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine, sold out of its camera-free "Normal F***ing Sunglasses" in less than a week.
Monopoly Events, which organizes Comic Con, and the DEF CON security conference have both barred the glasses from their venues. Police Scotland also opened an investigation in July into a TikToker accused of filming people with a pair.
Norway could be among the first to legislate specifically for the devices
If Norway moves ahead, it would be among the first countries to introduce legislation aimed specifically at smart glasses.
Tung’s ministry has not said when the expert group will convene or when a bill might follow.