Canterbury-Bankstown, one of Sydney’s largest councils, has banned AI smart glasses at its public pools. The decision, made on Tuesday evening, follows mounting concerns over the potential for the technology to be exploited.
Mayor Bilal El-Hayek described the devices as “pervert glasses,” citing reports of women being filmed without consent and interactions posted on social media. He noted that community forums and social media platforms show women expressing concerns about safety and privacy due to the technology.
The ban makes Canterbury-Bankstown the latest Australian council to restrict smart glasses in public spaces. Brisbane was the first to announce such a ban at its 21 public pools last month, followed by Yarra in inner Melbourne, which also banned them from childcare centres and playgrounds. Randwick council in Sydney has also implemented a ban at the Des Renford leisure centre.
These bans do not apply to individuals with accessibility concerns, such as vision impairment. The federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, has acknowledged the complexity of laws governing this new technology and has not ruled out a federal ban. In August, she wrote to the privacy commissioner, Carly Kind, requesting priority consideration for community concerns about the devices.
Australia’s online safety regulator has advised smart glasses companies to automatically blur faces filmed on devices and to make it clearer when recording is taking place.