Arabic version: النرويج تخطط لقيود مؤقتة على النظارات الذكية

According to The Guardian, Norway is planning a temporary ban on smart glasses in a range of public places over concerns that people could be photographed, filmed or audio-recorded without their knowledge.

The Oslo government plans a bill that would prevent use of camera-enabled spectacles in parks, beaches, museums, shopping centres, schools, daycare centres, healthcare facilities, gyms and public events. Private use would still be permitted.

Torgeir Micaelsen, Norway’s minister of digital affairs, said he was worried that powerful new technology was being introduced in situations where people risk being recorded unknowingly. He said the government did not want a society in which people feared being monitored in places where they were accustomed to privacy.

Norway’s Labour party leads a minority government and will need backing from other parties for the proposal to pass. It plans to submit a bill as soon as possible and has tasked an expert group with developing permanent regulations.

Meta sells Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses that can film, take photos, make calls, play music and carry out AI prompts. The company says camera-equipped pairs have a tamper-proof LED light that blinks while photos or video are being recorded, and that the camera is disabled if the light is covered or tampered with.