Bad news if you planned on capturing photos of the majestic fjords in your Meta Ray-Bans. Norway is issuing a temporary ban on camera glasses in public spaces like parks, schools, and beaches.
This ban doesn’t prohibit the sale of Meta glasses, and it only applies to their use in certain areas, like changing rooms or beaches. It also points to the need for extra privacy around places for children, like schools and daycares.
Norway’s Minister of Digitalization, Torgeir Micaelsen, expressed concern that new, powerful technology is being introduced where people risk being photographed, filmed or audio recorded without their knowledge, according to a translated press release.
Micaelsen just started as Minister of Digitalization in September, but his predecessor had started floating the idea of looking into regulation on Meta glasses in August.
Representatives for Minister Micaelsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, has said that only a few “bad actors” are responsible for disabling the glasses’ LED indicator lights, which has given the glasses a bad reputation as “pervert glasses”. Meta recently rolled out a software update in which the camera won’t work if the light is covered or tampered with.
The government also said it will form an expert group to investigate the challenges posed by wearable technology and provide advice on permanent regulation.
Norway’s temporary ban follows unease about camera glasses in other European countries. In the last few weeks, a debate about smart glasses has been brewing in the Netherlands, following media reports and advocacy group concerns. An official from the country’s data privacy group told Parliament they want to wait for findings from a broader European Union report on the matter before taking any action. Meanwhile, Hans Anders, a large eyewear retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium, has paused selling Meta glasses in its stores.
“We’re excited that our glasses continue to be very popular for listening to music, making calls, or getting live translations, so we’re continuing to expand styles and features around the world,” a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider in response to the Norway ban.
“Every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video,” they said. “It can’t be turned off, and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it — something smartphones and other cameras don’t have.”
