Australia and Norway consider restricting smart glasses use in public places
AI glasses face their first major government crackdown
Australia is considering banning smart glasses in some public places, and courts in several countries have also issued related bans. The Norwegian government says it does not intend a blanket ban, arguing that appropriate use is possible where there is no risk of photographing others without consent, and describes the proposed ban as a high priority, with a draft law to be submitted to parliament soon. US tech companies such as Meta, Google and OpenAI believe smart glasses have the potential to replace phones as the main gateway to AI, and Counterpoint Research analysts estimate that consumer spending on wearable devices will exceed $1 trillion between 2026 and 2032, but what these devices can see and hear has raised widespread privacy concerns.