Smart glasses have been a sci-fi idea for a long time, but new models are causing privacy issues that nobody wants to deal with.
Smart glasses are back in the spotlight, but this time, people are seriously concerned about privacy violations. A recent TikTok video went viral after someone wore Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses during a Brazilian wax appointment, setting off a massive debate about consent and surveillance. The incident exposed how these devices can record people without their knowledge, even though manufacturers claim recording indicators make it obvious when filming is happening.
Do you have a right to privacy in public?
If you think that you’re not being recorded during every moment that you’re present in public, you’re fooling yourself. Everywhere you go, there are cameras present that can be accessed by various agencies to be used as evidence and for investigative purposes. Your location, habits, and movements are all recorded. You don’t even have privacy in your own yard if your neighbors have cameras, which they are allowed to have. The trouble with privacy concerns in public is those areas in which privacy truly matters, such as restrooms, doctors’ offices, and private appointments. Basically, if you have to undress in any way, you should have the right to bodily privacy.
Smart glasses are causing problems
Cameras have gotten smaller than ever, and wearable cameras have raised concerns with many people who are being recorded without consent. This isn’t an issue in public, where cameras are typically visible and present, but should you have some assumption of privacy in your home? Does it make sense that investigators could use smart glasses for surveillance activities? Are smart glasses invading your privacy and causing problems?
As strange as it might sound, the most online generation in history is pushing back. Many Gen Z users have raised privacy concerns regarding Meta Ray-Ban glasses or other smart glasses on TikTok. These glasses are made to record whatever the wearer sees, but they could easily be considered privacy-invasion technology, especially when worn by the person performing a service.
A true privacy invasion
A TikTok video has gone viral talking about smart glasses and their use in settings that should assume privacy and discretion. Imagine getting your private area waxed only to find out the person performing the service is recording the entire event because they have a pair of camera-enabled glasses on their face. The video that was shared shows a woman who went to a European Wax Center in Manhattan for a Brazilian wax treatment and found that her aesthetician was wearing a pair of Meta Ray-Ban glasses equipped with a camera. According to the aesthetician, the batteries weren’t charged, which means nothing was recorded, but the experience was enough to rattle the young woman.
Some things shouldn’t be recorded
Although there’s nothing stopping people from recording you using their smartphones, at least you can see the phone being held up and can generally expect that you’re being recorded. Whether it’s a closed-door meeting, a private appointment, or time in the restroom, there are simply some aspects of our daily lives that don’t need to be captured on camera. Although smart glasses generally have indicators to show they are recording, not everyone is going to look at the glasses for these indicators, and should be allowed to assume a certain level of privacy in some areas of their lives.
Getting too close to Big Brother
George Orwell warned of a future in which every movement and habit is recorded and scrutinized by the government, also known as Big Brother, in his book, 1984. He predicted this in 1948, only a couple of years after World War II and the fall of the German Nazi regime. While we might be more than forty years past the predicted year, we are coming ever closer to a world in which privacy is not expected, considered, or available in every aspect of our lives. Glasses that can record your private appointment should not ever be allowed in such spaces, but that would require regulations, strict rules, and a better understanding of what’s appropriate, which a Brazilian waxing appointment should certainly be one of those times when privacy is expected.
The outrage matters
Although Gen Z is the most online generation ever, it seems that smart glasses that can easily invade your privacy are a step over the line for this younger generation. This should show the world that even younger people don’t think every moment of their lives needs to be recorded and posted on a site for the world to see. The outrage matters, and people should still be allowed to have private moments, conversations with family and friends, and even intimate appointments that don’t involve a camera or microphone recording everything taking place.
Has online fascination changed?
For some people, the outrage over being recorded is only part of their ire with the constant sharing and online nonsense that make up much of our lives. Some feel that the only way they can protect their privacy is to stay off the internet altogether. This has led to many people creating their own boundaries and changing the rules for themselves, creating a more peaceful world for themselves. Unfortunately, items, such as the smart glasses that can invade their privacy, are a concern because other people might have them and use them to record without consent.
