Norway’s government plans to propose a temporary ban on AI glasses in some public places, citing concerns that people could be photographed, filmed, or recorded without knowing it. The rules
Norway’s government plans to propose a temporary ban on AI glasses in some public places, citing concerns that people could be photographed, filmed, or recorded without knowing it. The rules could cover parks, beaches, museums, shopping centres, public events, schools, playgrounds, youth clubs, doctors’ offices, swimming pools and gyms with changing rooms.
Norway is preparing a temporary ban on AI glasses in certain public places, per Reuters. People wearing devices like Meta’s Ray-Ban line would need to avoid those spots once the rule takes effect. https://t.co/cWlsMphOEW
— Minutes of AI (@minutesofai) October 5, 2026
The government will decide which devices fall under the rules, including glasses with cameras and audio, glasses with AI features and other wearable technology.
Digitalization Minister Torgeir Micaelsen said people should not be left unaware that they may be recorded as new technology becomes more common. The government also plan to send the bill to parliament soon, while an expert group works on longer term rules for body worn technology.
The concerns about smart glasses started when people noticed others wearing the glasses in gyms, changing rooms and bars. Some people even covered or disabled the small light that was meant to show when the camera was recording. Businesses began to react. A large British pub chain restricted the glasses, while some shops and restaurants put up signs warning customers about them. In some places, people started calling them “pervert glasses.”
The privacy debate has also spread online. Responding to the concerns on X, Niko said the questions around AI glasses were worth taking seriously. “Every person has a dignity God gave them,” Niko wrote, adding that people should not be quietly recorded while doing everyday things such as shopping or attending church. “Technology should serve people, not turn all of us into data.”
Lewis also weighed in on X, saying Norway was “directionally right.” He argued that AI glasses create a new privacy problem because both recording and AI analysis can happen without people around the wearer knowing.
I think Norway is directionally right here. AI glasses introduce a different privacy problem because recording and inference can become effectively invisible to everyone except the wearer.
That does not necessarily justify a broad permanent ban, but requiring a higher standard in shared public spaces seems reasonable while the technology and social norms are still being worked out.
— Lewis Worrow (@LewisWorrow) October 5, 2026
Lewis said stricter rules in shared public spaces could make sense while people and regulators work out how the technology should be used.
The issue has also reached the courts. A class-action lawsuit now pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California claims the glasses recorded people who never agreed to be filmed. Separate reports said some of that footage, including sensitive images, was reviewed by workers overseas to help train AI systems. Meta has responded by disabling cameras on thousands of glasses that had been tampered with and promising stronger privacy measures.
Europe is taking a more cautious approach as privacy and consent carry more weight under European rules. France is a good example. In a survey of 2,128 adults published by the French privacy regulator CNIL in 2026, 67% said smart glasses pose a risk to people’s privacy.
Recording people in public in the US has stronger protection under free-speech law, so a nationwide ban would be much harder to justify. Instead, the rules have mostly focused on specific places and situations, such as schools, courts and workplaces.
Europe’s approach is also starting to affect how businesses handle the devices. In the Netherlands and Belgium, eyewear retailer Hans Anders suspended sales of Meta’s smart glasses over privacy concerns.
In another development, Meta continues to reshape its future by shifting its focus from the metaverse to artificial intelligence (AI), committing approximately $72 billion to this ambitious pivot. The company has identified AI as the cornerstone of its next growth phase, redirecting resources toward cutting-edge machine learning and AI development.
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