Australia probes app used in cheap smart glasses over privacy fears

Smart glasses, capable of performing a range of functions such as photography, video recording, music playback, phone calls, text translation, and AI assistance, are a growing trend. The Australian data protection watchdog, the OAIC, is currently investigating the practices of the firm behind the app used in low-cost smart glasses, HeyCyan, made by China-based Shenzhen Qingcheng.

These glasses are sold at a low price, as low as A$89 (US$62), in Australian retailers like K-mart. The OAIC has sent preliminary inquiries to several companies involved in the production of these glasses, including Meta, Kmart, Google, and Shenzhen Qingcheng, asking about their data recording practices and storage locations. The Privacy Commissioner, Carly Kind, expressed concern over the lack of response from Shenzhen Qingcheng, stating that this raises questions about their compliance with the Privacy Act.

Kind urged retailers to reconsider stocking these glasses due to the identified risks. The concern for privacy is not unfounded; there have been incidents of secretly recorded footage of individuals appearing online, leading to calls for stricter regulations. Norway has proposed a temporary ban on smart glasses in certain public areas, and France's child welfare group has received numerous reports of women being filmed without consent, often using Meta glasses.