this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2026
244 points (99.6% liked)

privacy

11687 readers
252 users here now

Big tech and governments are monitoring and recording your eating activities. c/Privacy provides tips and tricks to protect your privacy against global surveillance.

Partners:

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Ireland's Oireachtas AI Committee has called for smart glasses that can record people to be regulated over privacy concerns. The bigger question: should they be banned outright?

top 30 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 3 points 1 day ago

Sure, but where was all this panic when we all got equipped with cameras and microphone and carried them around all day on our phones?

We're all recorded dozens of times a day without knowing. Can we start rolling some of that back as well?

[–] 2ndDegreeOWO@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (3 children)

If you're going to make laws about this, you should get one step ahead and make those laws apply to all concealed recording devices.

[–] yucandu@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Then how will I secretly record my interactions with corporations, executives, or police? What about all those investigative journalism pieces that involve someone wearing a hidden camera to expose someone saying/doing something awful?

Is THAT where all this is headed? Making it harder for people to secretly record the elite?

[–] deadsenator@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I am no lawologist, but I believe intent should be heavily considered.

[–] BillyTheKid2@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago

The entire point is to stop you but frame it as "think of the children"

[–] stickyprimer@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Yes cameras that can hide in glasses or a hat have been around for a long, long time.

There are legitimate uses. I remember a TV news expose where a reporter wore a hidden camera into a series of chiropractic appointments to show what kind of quackery goes on. The footage was obscured to protect identities but the content of it was damning. That was good journalism.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Because the worst cameras aren't hidden.

[–] LordGimp@fedinsfw.app 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

I mean, no? Yes everyone hates on techbro things, but the possible benefit to the visually impaired cannot be understated. There shouldnt be a ban on ANY accessibility technology when it can help enrich the lives of those living with disabilities.

Now, should it be heavily regulated? Absolutely. People like to make jokes about European countries and their licenses for everything, but this should be a licensed disability aid, not an off the shelf dudebro accessory.

[–] fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago

The data shouldn't be stored, and shouldnt be procced remotaly.

On device or person just in time processing. That would be fine for me.

[–] stickyprimer@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think we have some precedent for allowing exceptions for accessibility devices. Seeing eye dogs are allowed in places that other dogs are not, for example.

But regulation could still hurt the sight impaired by putting a chill on innovation in this space. No one’s going to invest big in these technologies just to serve the sight impaired, I’m sorry to say.

[–] LordGimp@fedinsfw.app 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Thats why im not particularly mad about the dudebros throwing money at this stuff. Yeah, its douchey, but the money spent on this technology now will vastly help the visually impaired down the road. Just having glasses you can point at text to read it out loud is world changing.

[–] stickyprimer@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Yes the accessibility side of the argument is very clear. If we could decide the whole thing based only on that, this would be easy.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This works better in Europe because making it a regulated medical device in the USA means "poor can use stick".

[–] LordGimp@fedinsfw.app 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In California it is unlawful for anyone to carry a predominantly white cane unless they are at least partially blind. I dont see it as much of a stretch to extend that law to glasses like these.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Shit. I'm in California and colorblind, which I suspect isn't blind enough to count, but is blind enough to buy the wrong cane.

[–] zangwill@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago

A blind person getting real time narration about their environment sounds amazing.

[–] PlasticMachinery@europe.pub 3 points 1 day ago

Common ireland w

[–] mad_lentil@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Glasses that can record you shouldn't.

[–] the_q@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago

They shouldn't exist.

[–] dusk@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Tiny article includes an "ai summary"

[–] tpyo@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

this account only has posts and no comments; each post using this style thumbnail which seems to be a summarization of a headline and includes the source at the bottom

[–] deeprlyeh@lemmus.org 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Don’t let this infest your country.

[–] yucandu@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The smart glasses or the moral panic?

[–] deeprlyeh@lemmus.org 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Smart glasses… No one is wrong in thinking these will be insidious.

[–] BillyTheKid2@lemmy.ca -1 points 2 days ago

You should absolutely record the police. You can't trust them. Look up videos of pull overs when the cop realizes there's a dash cam.

Camera stop cops and save lives.

Get your tounge off of the jackboot..

[–] yucandu@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Hidden cameras that you can wear and conceal have existed since the 90's. This moral panic over smart glasses is weird, and I don't even own them.

[–] Carl@anarchist.nexus 10 points 2 days ago

A large part of the recent panic is about the fact that these new recording devices upload everything directly to a centralized server, where techbros can do waves arms in air vaguely with it.

If someone wants to record with a hidden USB body cam, that’s strictly a privacy issue between them and whoever they’re recording. You record something onto a microSD, then plug that into your computer to view. You’re the only one dealing with the footage, unless you specifically make the decision to upload it somewhere else.

But if you’re recording someone with smart glasses, it becomes a much bigger issue. Because your recording can be used to capture things like facial recognition data of everyone around you, for a third-party to use however they see fit.

Your argument is like saying that a closed-circuit security camera system in a mom-n-pop store, and Flock cameras spread throughout the town are the same thing. They’re fundamentally different, because the former is only used by whoever set the cameras up. But the latter has repeatedly shown to be a pipeline for abuse.

[–] fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

Yeah but those were advertised as like gimmicks for weirdos (like me!)

These are advertised for bros and also the recordings are shared with mega corps with Jensan Huang levels of trust to not screw it

[–] NovaVeles@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

"Can I borrow your glasses?" ** put in microwave ** Set to popcorn mode for best results.

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

We will get this sorted in time for... bionic eyes to be on the consumer market. We do not respond quick, we do not knock big tech and we for sure do not follow guidance or what the people want.