The fact that smart glasses can easily record images in public spaces and transfer these recordings to online platforms has brought to the fore the risks posed by the devices in terms of privacy.
In Paris, the capital of France, investigations were launched following numerous complaints about women's images being recorded with smart glasses in public spaces without their consent.
The Paris Prosecutor's Office announced that there is an increasing tendency for women to be secretly recorded, especially on social media, and to share these recordings on the internet.
PARIS PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE STARTED AN INVESTIGATION
The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office reported that it has received complaints about privacy violations related to the use of smart glasses. The prosecutor's office pointed out that there is "an increasing trend on social media for women to be filmed on the street with smart glasses without their consent and to post these videos on the internet."
Noting that many investigations were opened after women complained about smart glasses users violating their privacy, the prosecutor's office reminded that disseminating content using the image or words of a person without their consent is punishable by up to 2 years in prison and a fine of 45 thousand euros.
The prosecutor's office also stated that in some cases, an investigation is being conducted on charges of sexual assault if "the actions are accompanied by non-consensual sexual contact".
WARNING AGAINST SMART GLASSES
The France-based e-Enfance association, which operates to protect children and young people online and combat cyberbullying, also warned about the increase in content shared on the internet shot with camera-equipped smart glasses.
The association announced that it had received approximately 20 reports from women as of September 8, and that Meta brand smart glasses were used in most of these cases.
In the news in AFP, it was stated that a similar method was followed in the incidents that reached the tip line.
In one incident during an annual street music festival in Paris, a man wearing Meta brand smart glasses secretly recorded a young girl and shared the footage on TikTok, Instagram and X.
While the images went viral in a short time, the young girl faced "hateful comments and death threats". The association stated that the people whose images were recorded in such incidents were made a laughing stock and were subjected to misogynistic insults and threats.
The association stated that the purpose of this action was "to provoke a reaction, make the person uncomfortable or put the person in an embarrassing situation."
Veronique Bechu, spokesperson of the association, emphasized that smart glasses should be more strictly controlled from the development stage.
Bechu also said, "When content creators make it a business model to insult people they don't know, platforms should take a zero-tolerance approach and suspend the accounts of offenders."
REACTION TO SMART GLASSES IS INCREASING IN EUROPE
The leakage of secretly taken images of women and girls to the internet has also increased the debate on the use of smart glasses in Europe.
While activists are calling for stricter measures against the misuse of these devices, a petition demanding a ban on the sale of smart glasses has also been launched in the UK.
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