How privacy fears have brought renewed focus to the potential “deterrent effects” of Facebook’s smart glasses

Not everyone is happy with this explanation. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) and its Italian counterpart, the Garante, issued a statement last year raising concerns about the product. They pointed out that with smartphones, by contrast, “it’s generally the case that the camera or phone is visible as the device that’s being recorded,” alerting people that they’re being recorded.

They argued that the effectiveness of the smart glasses’ LED in notifying people that they were being recorded has not been proven. DPC and Garante asked Facebook to “demonstrate that the LED indicator light is fit for purpose”. They also called for an information campaign “to make the public aware of how this new consumer product could result in a less obvious record of their images.”

Data glasses are not a new concept. Google and Snapchat both have versions, but neither has achieved the ubiquity that Facebook is hoping for. For Facebook, smart glasses, like the Oculus headset, are a step toward what it sees as “the next computing platform”: augmented and virtual reality. She sees these devices becoming normalized like the smartphone.

It’s no surprise, then, that they’ve partnered with Ray-Ban to create eyewear in their famous Wayfarer style. While Google and Snapchat’s glasses have been criticized for flashy designs that draw attention to the technology, Facebook’s offering is subtle and classic, more about blending in than standing out.

While this approach may work from an aesthetic standpoint, it does little to allay fears of covert recording.

Olga Cronin, Policy Officer at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, describes smart glasses as “computers we wear on our noses”. As with all internet-enabled recording devices, “they pose privacy, data collection, and security risks, especially if they have facial recognition capabilities or can record video or audio discreetly.”

Echoing the DPC’s concerns, Cronin says, “We have seen this information campaign, but we have not seen any demonstrative evidence that this LED indicator light is an effective means of alerting that people are being tracked.”

Cronin highlights the potential “deterrent effects” of this technology in societies where surveillance of everyday life is becoming more intense.

“Let’s say someone uses these glasses and collects pictures or videos of people attending certain places or events,” she says. “And let’s say they go to protests or demonstrations or religious events or religious places. This has the potential to discourage people from voicing their opinions publicly or in authoritarian jurisdictions; [it] could result in the arrest or prosecution of those who do so.”

The problem of data glasses also illustrates a broader sense of responsibility when recording everyday life. Sarah Kieran, owner at MediaLawyer Solicitors, explains that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has made it much more difficult to film in public places and release the footage publicly. The legal landscape it describes is complex, and much of it depends on what users do with the material they record.

Users of these technologies are responsible for letting others know they are being recorded if, as she says, “you intend to use them and you are not in an actual public place.” She points to a distinction between places where people expect less privacy, such as B. a public road, compared to a park where the expectation may be higher.

In a blog post, Facebook says its smart glasses campaign aims to “raise awareness of what signals people should look out for when using the glasses.” It also states that users should “stop recording if someone near you indicates they don’t want to be in a photo or video”.

A meta spokesman said Verification: “We are working with our regulatory partners, including the DPC as our lead regulator, to help people understand more about how this new technology works and the controls available to them.”

dr Mary McGill is the author of The Visibility Trap: Sexism, Surveillance and Social Media (New Island)