Smart glasses face global crackdown from Paris to Canberra

A wave of government action against smart glasses is building across multiple continents, with Paris prosecutors launching a criminal investigation into sexual harassment linked to the devices, Australia weighing a first-of-its-kind ban in federal buildings, and Channel Islands regulators warning the public about the technology's risks to privacy.

France Takes Legal Action

The Paris prosecutor's office has opened at least one criminal probe following sexual harassment complaints tied to a social media trend of men using smart glasses to covertly film women on the street and post the footage online, Reuters reported. The office's cybercrime unit tested the devices two weeks ago to better understand the potential crimes they could facilitate.thenextweb+1

France's data protection authority, CNIL, said it had received fewer than 10 complaints about smart glasses being used in the workplace and was fielding growing inquiries from businesses asking whether they could ban the devices on their premises. Nacera Bekhat, CNIL's head of economic affairs, said the devices posed "real challenges" in informing people they are being filmed and in obtaining consent.straitstimes+1

Rights groups pushed back on the idea that a small indicator light on the glasses' frames is sufficient protection. "Seeing a light come on doesn't mean that you consent to being filmed, nor to have your image distributed to thousands of people afterwards," said Ines Legendre, a legal expert at the internet safety organization e-Enfance.thenextweb+1

Australia and the Channel Islands Act

Australia said on September 17 that it is considering barring camera-equipped smart glasses from government workplaces in what it described as a potential first ban of its kind. Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said she had asked the public service commission for advice, citing the devices' "ability to record and capture information". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia was "setting the world standard for digital safety".itnews+2

Separately, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man issued a joint data protection advisory warning of the "considerable privacy risks" posed by smart glasses. Jersey Information Commissioner Paul Vane said users "are expected to act responsibly and consider the privacy impacts" on others. Deputy Kirsten Morel went further, telling the Jersey Evening Post that an outright ban in the island could be considered.jerseyeveningpost

A Growing Global Patchwork

The moves follow Oslo's ban on smart glasses in schools earlier this month, aimed at preventing children from becoming "extras in Meta's ↗ 1.44% data collection", and existing restrictions in courts in England and Wales. A German advocacy group, HateAid, has filed a criminal complaint against Meta and retailers selling the devices in Germany. The European Data Protection Board plans its own examination of smart glasses with national regulators.thepeninsulaqatar+2

Meta, whose Ray-Ban smart glasses made with EssilorLuxottica hold roughly 76 percent of the global market and sold 7 million units in 2025, said it had "built privacy into our AI glasses from the ground up". The company's next-generation glasses are expected to be unveiled at Meta Connect on September 23.thenextweb+1