Investigation into Anko smart glasses in Australia, risks to privacy

The Australian Information Commission has launched an investigation into the collection and storage of personal data through low-cost Anko connected glasses, equipped with the HeyCyan application, produced in China by the Shenzhen Qingchen company.

"In the absence of Shenzhen Qingchen's response to the Commission's preliminary requests, we have no assurance that the company will protect the personal data of Australians as required by the Privacy Act," said Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind.

"This silence raises concerns about the organization's practices, procedures and systems for protecting the personal information it holds," he added. The commissioner urged traders to be cautious.

"Taking into account the specific risks that the Commission has identified regarding the HeyCyan application, we invite interested retailers to ask themselves whether it is appropriate to continue to market this equipment."

The glasses in question can take photos, videos, transmit messages, translate texts and even interact with conversational robots using artificial intelligence. In several countries, voices have been raised against the threats to privacy made possible by such objects, especially videos of women and published online without their consent.

The Norwegian government said in October that it would suspend the use of such glasses in certain public spaces. In France, the child advocacy group e-Enfance reported in September that it had received twenty reports of women being filmed without their consent, in most cases using Meta glasses.