You need a policy for smart glasses

Have you been filmed today? Would you know if you had been? How do you feel about your private conversations being recorded, without your knowledge, and then broadcast?

What about people recording your private information while they assess insurance claims, banking, do work on your house, or treat you during a medical appointment? Standing by you while you enter your PIN at an ATM or a checkout.

If you knew you could be filmed at any moment in any situation, would it change your behaviour?

Would it change how you dress? Or who you interact with?

Would you feel safe?

A few months ago, I ran a poll on LinkedIn asking people whether they would want someone wearing smart glasses to tell them. 88% of people who voted said yes.

I asked if people had policies in place at work, or what the rules are if they are running an event. People said that’s interesting, I hadn’t thought about it.

It’s time to not only think about it but act.

This product has gone from niche to mass market.

There is now a feed on Instagram that is marked up as filmed with Meta glasses. They are being advertised by opticians.

You don’t need to have an eye condition to wear them. Anyone can put on a pair of frames. They are being sold by other companies too, so the logo isn’t always a giveaway. They are getting cheaper.

You can film anything. In classrooms. In changing rooms. In doctor’s surgeries and hospitals. In pubs, clubs, and theatres. In court. During networking meetings. At private events where Chatham House rules are in place and so you think it is fine to share confidential information about you and your business.

But someone can be recording.

That recording can be online in a matter of seconds.

Would you filter what you say?

Would you think twice before going to an event?

Would you become less likely to engage in social situations where there is a chance someone could record you just being yourself?

And this is all before we get into the people deliberately trying to get a reaction out of you for the entertainment of strangers. Or deliberately humiliating you.

You can say we’re filmed all the time now. On CCTV, on phones. But smart glasses are different. They go unnoticed. People wear glasses, we don’t expect that to be something we have to look out for.

Young people are living under surveillance

Futurism reports teenage boys are bullying girls by recording them at school. Teachers are often unaware children have smart glasses. They confiscate phones but not specs. Teachers are being filmed as well.

And the social impact of being under surveillance is huge. Young people are saying they don’t engage in social activities where there is a risk of embarrassment. That means not going to dances. It means not speaking to someone you like in case the interaction doesn’t work out and your mates film it. The result is young people say they find it difficult to meet romantic partners because traditional ways of meeting people risk surveillance.

What would your younger self not have done if you thought you could be filmed doing it?

So I’m asking again: what is your policy on smart glasses?