Smart glasses with hidden cameras raise data protection concerns in Thuringian pools and event venues

Spectacles with barely perceptible integrated cameras known as smart glasses are currently used in swimming pools, saunas and event venues in Thuringia. “A bather recently filmed the outdoor pool area with so-called meta-glasses,” says Wiebke Göring from Kur- und Reiseverkehr Bad Tabarz for the Tabbs sports and health pool.

The regular guest shared the recordings on a social media platform and achieved viral success. Only due to the guest's insight and the deletion of the content after contact by the bathroom was an advert not made. In general, house bans have been issued several times due to unauthorized recordings in the bathroom or sauna area.

The Rosenkeller student club in Jena was also forced to include the ban on smart glasses in its house rules, explains a spokeswoman. Smart glasses have been banned there since the beginning of September in order to protect the privacy of guests. Since the decision, many other organizers from Jena have been in contact with the Rosenkeller about the issue.

In other facilities such as the Jena baths, the baths of the Erfurt municipal utilities, Schmölln and Nordhausen, no incidents in this direction have been reported, the speakers said. Here too, developments are being watched with great interest. “The protection and safety of our guests is of course our top priority,” says Martin Fromm from the Thuringian Baths Working Group. “If the issue develops more strongly in Thuringia in the future, we will monitor the situation closely and deal with it accordingly.”

Data Protection Foundation: Cameras sometimes also in jewelry

However, as the experiences from the Rosenkeller and Bad Tabarz show, it is by no means easy to prevent such incidents. The reason: Smart glasses are difficult to distinguish from conventional glasses models. Often only a small light during a recording reveals the smart glasses, as the Data Protection Foundation says. In some models, even this light can now be switched off. In addition, barely visible image and sound recording devices are now being installed in more and more other products, such as necklaces.

So far, the most important antidote has been the attention of employees and guests, it was agreed. In some cases, unusual movements or behavior patterns gave away the illegal filmmakers. While it is comparatively easy to detect such cases in the relatively limited space of a sauna area, it becomes much more difficult in a spacious outdoor pool area, according to Bad Tabarz.

In addition, the new problem is also a further additional burden for the staff: “The actual task of our lifeguards and specialist staff should be to supervise guests, especially those with children, in the swimming pools,” said Göring. The fact that some of the attention now has to be drawn to guests who are using technical equipment in the bathing area or away from the pool poses new challenges for the facilities. “We notice that we are experiencing a changing time at this point.”

Non-profit organizations are taking action against the glasses

According to the Data Protection Foundation, from a purely legal point of view, the inclusion of people who do not belong to the close circle of friends and family is not permitted under data protection law, with rare exceptions. The NGOs “Center for Digital Rights and Democracy” and HateAid have already started petitions for bans on the sale of smart glasses. HateAid has also filed a criminal complaint against the Meta group, the management of several eyewear manufacturers and optical chains with the Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT).