Filmed by Meta’s glasses without their knowledge
Recent media coverage reports on women being unknowingly filmed in the street via AI-enabled smart glasses and wearable recording devices. The footage is allegedly intended to promote seduction coaching businesses.
Beyond that specific issue, the boom of wearable devices combining cameras and microphones raises important questions regarding privacy and data protection. Last year, 7 million pairs of Meta smart glasses were sold.
Today, Renew MEPs wrote to the Commission to ask what could be done at European level. Read the parliamentary question here.
“AI-enabled smart glasses are evolving rapidly, but many people remain unclear about what the legal boundaries are. I believe the European Commission and the European Data Protection Board should provide guidance on how existing EU rules, especially the GDPR, apply to these devices. At the same time, it is unacceptable for any woman to worry about being secretly filmed in public and having those images shared online. Where privacy rights are breached or civil and criminal laws are broken, authorities must be able to act swiftly and effectively."
Veronika Cifrová OstrihoňováRenew Europe MEP, Slovakia, Progresívne Slovensko
“As usual, women fall victim first, but this is not just a women issue, it is a general privacy concern. In March this year, the Swedish privacy watchdog issued guidance. In May the French one issued an action plan and started sharing best practices. A coordinated approach is needed”.
Abir Al-SahlaniRenew Europe MEP, Sweden, Centerpartiet
“Artificial intelligence is opening extraordinary opportunities, but innovation can only succeed if citizens trust it. Nobody should discover after the fact that their image, their voice or their personal data have been collected, analysed and potentially shared without their knowledge. Europe has set global standards with the GDPR and the AI Act. We now need to ensure these rules are effectively applied to a new generation of connected devices that are entering everyday life at remarkable speed.”
Yvan VerougstraeteRenew Europe MEP, Belgium, Les Engagés