Norway wants to temporarily ban smart glasses in parks, beaches, and schools

The Worst Spectacle: Smart glasses are becoming an increasingly popular wearable for use in public, and privacy is paying the price. Authorities are looking for new regulatory frameworks to curb abuse, and Norway may already be ahead of the pack.

Norwegian authorities are preparing a temporary ban on AI-enhanced smart glasses, giving experts time to draft a new law that restricts potential abuse of the latest wearables. The government announced the plan on Monday, saying smart glasses will become an unwelcome guest in certain public places, at least for the time being.

According to Torgeir Eikstad Micaelsen, Norway's Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance, people are increasingly concerned that smart glasses can be abused to invade privacy. Norwegians, and everyone else for that matter, can now easily become unwilling "guests" in photos and video clips recorded through a new-generation pair.

A temporary ban will give the government "time to conduct a thorough assessment and hold an informed debate that can lay the foundation for permanent regulation," Micaelsen said earlier this week.

Oslo, the capital and Norway's largest city by population, is now enforcing a total ban on smart glasses in schools. Meanwhile, oil and gas giant Equinor has banned the devices from both its offices and offshore facilities.

The ban could be enforced in parks, beaches, schools, and other public places where people don't necessarily expect to be recorded by a high-tech wearable. Places where there is no risk of a privacy violation would not be covered.

Micaelsen said the temporary measure is now a high-priority proposal for the government. He added that Norway must not become a society where people avoid public places for fear of being recorded or monitored without their consent, one that "can be experienced as unsafe and cause us to withdraw."

In fact, parts of Norwegian society have already reacted to the growing popularity of recording-ready smart glasses. Oslo, the capital and Norway's largest city by population, is now enforcing a total ban on smart glasses in schools. Meanwhile, oil and gas giant Equinor has banned the devices from both its offices and offshore facilities.

Some big tech players and AI companies are betting on smart glasses, hoping to position them as a bridge between customers and voice-powered chatbots. Needless to say, these companies also believe smart glasses could replace smartphones as the standard way to interact with AI on the go.

While companies like Meta are bullish on the technology's prospects, many are doing everything they can to avoid it. Norway is working on a broader regulatory effort, but smart glasses have already been shut out of public spaces such as New York's courts, and elsewhere in the world.