Smart glasses filming women without consent raises privacy concerns
Key Points
- Smart glasses are turning into tools for non-consensual filming and privacy violations in public spaces.
- The 'getting the number' trend on TikTok targets women, normalizing harassment and objectification.
- Concrete victimization incidents reported in Argentina and the UK, platforms intervening insufficiently.
- Norway initiates legislation efforts for smart glasses, experts call for ethical and legal regulation.
By the Numbers
The commercial proliferation of smart glasses has spawned a social media trend enabling men to film women in public spaces without their consent using these devices. POV (point-of-view) videos shared on platforms like TikTok under the 'can I get your number' tag normalize the non-consensual filming of women and the harassing comments directed at them. This situation raises serious concerns about the harmful potential of technology and privacy violations.
Concrete incidents in popular venues in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Kench, Cruza Polo parties, beaches) and a gym in the UK show the problem has gained an international dimension. Londoner Kate being filmed without consent and the video garnering 50,000 views in 6 hours, along with aggressive comments directed at her, exemplifies the trauma victims experience. Although TikTok accounts were shut down, the trend continues.
Norway plans to regulate the use of smart glasses and similar devices and ban facial recognition functions to protect citizens' privacy. Experts emphasize that big tech companies' efforts to make these devices ever less noticeable exceed societal norms and ethical boundaries, that market regulations are insufficient, and that comprehensive legal frameworks are needed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How can one tell a recording is being made with smart glasses?
- Some models (e.g., Ray-Ban Meta) have a light that turns on during recording, but this light is small and easily missed by the inattentive eye; many models have no visual indicator at all.
- How can victims stop the spread of these videos?
- They can report to platforms (TikTok, etc.); in Kate's case accounts were closed but videos were copied and re-uploaded, making full control difficult.
- Which countries are taking steps to regulate these devices?
- Norway's Ministry of Digitalisation plans to regulate the use of smart glasses and ban facial recognition functions; no concrete legislation yet in other countries.
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