{
  "id": 15206953,
  "title": "Move over, pervert glasses – the latest toxic trend is robogroping",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/move-over-pervert-glasses-the-latest-toxic-trend-is-robogroping-15206953",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-17T13:00:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/17/smartglasses-robogroping-toxic-trends"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As new technologies emerge, they inevitably become tools for harassing women and girls. Meta's \"pervert glasses\" proved this, with so-called manfluencers using them to film themselves attempting to flirt with women in public spaces and then sharing the footage on social media, often without the women's knowledge. Meta took minimal action, implementing some bans and privacy updates, but showed no real intent to address the problem.\n\nIn another instance, law enforcement officers in Cologne, Germany, abused a Flock license plate tracking system to monitor the whereabouts of their ex-girlfriends or women they were sexually interested in. Meanwhile, AI image generators have been used to create deepfake pornography, with a 2023 report indicating that 98% of deepfake videos online depict women.\n\nNow, a new concerning trend is gaining attention: livestreamed robogroping. In Cologne, police are investigating an incident where two teenage males used a humanoid robot to touch a 16-year-old girl's buttocks and make sexually suggestive gestures, all while livestreaming the act online. The robot, dressed in human clothes and wearing a fake mustache, has now been seized by the authorities, who admit they are unsure how to handle such a situation.\n\nWhile affordable AI-powered humanoid robots are still a luxury, their accessibility is rapidly increasing. Last year, a New York school announced plans to introduce a humanoid teaching assistant named Sally, made by a company known for producing realistic sex dolls. The announcement sparked outrage, leading the school district to suspend its plans. However, as costs continue to drop, it is only a matter of time before humanoid robots become commonplace, particularly in educational settings.\n\nBank of America's report predicts that by 2060, there will be 3 billion humanoid robots, replacing 20% of the workforce in the industrial sector and 50% in the service sector. As these robots become more prevalent, corporations will likely ensure they have greater legal protections than the humans they may harm. For example, in Philadelphia, a woman was arrested for obstructing a delivery robot, despite the city's limited interest in enforcing laws related to these machines.\n\nAs technology advances, the potential for abuse grows. In the not-too-distant future, robogroping may become as common as catcalling is today. Influencer Braden Eric Peters, known as Clavicular, has gained notoriety for extreme physical transformations, including a face-smashing challenge. He recently faced charges for rape and drug offenses in Massachusetts, though his attorneys deny the allegations.\n\nThe consequences of these technologies on women's lives and self-esteem cannot be overstated. A UK-based study found that the damage caused to women by misdiagnoses can have long-lasting effects on their trust in medical professionals and their self-esteem. Reem Asaad Awad's tragic death in an Israeli airstrike, followed by the rescue of her young daughter, is a stark reminder of the human cost of these developments.",
  "summary": "Whenever a new technology is created, it will, without exception, immediately be used to harass girls and women You may be familiar with rule 34 of the internet, which states that if something exists or can be imagined, there will almost certainly be online porn of it. Now let me introduce my rule 35: whenever a new technology is created, it will, without exception, immediately be used to harass…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Move over, pervert glasses – the latest toxic trend is robogroping",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/move-over-pervert-glasses-the-latest-toxic-trend-is-robogroping",
        "published": "2026-10-17T13:00:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}