Norway Weighs Tighter Controls On Camera Smart Glasses Arabian Post

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) clearfix">Norway is preparing tougher rules for camera-equipped smart glasses and other artificial-intelligence wearables, with the government considering a ban on facial-recognition functions in public spaces over privacy concerns.

Digitalisation and Public Governance Minister Karianne Tung said the technology was putting private life and data protection under growing pressure as cameras, microphones and AI systems become embedded in everyday objects. The government plans to appoint an expert group to recommend how smart glasses and similar devices should be regulated, before any proposals are developed and submitted for consultation.

“We must prevent this equipment from being used to monitor other people in public places,” Tung said. She has identified a possible prohibition on functions that allow wearers to recognise other people's faces in public as one option for stricter regulation.

The initiative stops short, at this stage, of a blanket ban on the sale or possession of smart glasses. No draft legislation, implementation timetable or final enforcement model has been announced. The government's stated focus is on stronger safeguards governing how discreet camera-enabled devices can be used, where people nearby may be filmed, analysed or identified without being aware of it.

Smart glasses sold by technology companies including Meta combine conventional eyewear with cameras, microphones, internet connectivity and software capable of handling voice commands and artificial-intelligence services. Depending on the model, users can take photographs and video, make calls, listen to audio, receive information or interact with digital assistants while keeping their hands free.

Those capabilities have also generated criticism because the devices can resemble ordinary glasses, making it harder for bystanders to recognise when a camera is present. Online critics have used the term“pervert glasses” for camera-enabled eyewear following complaints about covert filming and the circulation of non-consensual footage. The label is not an official description and encompasses wider concerns about misuse rather than a specific product category.

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Tung said there was a clear trend towards combining AI with cameras and microphones in glasses, earphones, caps and other items used in daily life. That convergence, she said, required authorities to ensure wearable technology did not become a tool for monitoring people in public spaces.

Norway's Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance said the planned expert panel would work quickly and examine regulatory options covering smart glasses, earphones and other devices incorporating cameras and AI capabilities. The government would then assess the recommendations and put any proposed new rules through the consultation process.

The move follows calls from Norway's Data Protection Authority and Consumer Council for authorities to examine the legal room available to regulate the technology. The Consumer Council has argued that stronger safeguards are needed as smart glasses become more capable and less conspicuous, while the data protection regulator has highlighted the broader privacy obligations that apply when organisations process identifiable camera recordings.

Norway already treats camera surveillance as a potential intrusion into privacy. Existing data-protection rules require organisations conducting surveillance to establish a lawful purpose, limit collection and use of recordings, provide appropriate information and protect stored material. Wearable devices complicate that framework because they move with individuals and can operate across workplaces, shops, schools, transport systems and public spaces rather than from a fixed installation.

The issue has also reached Norway's parliament. Lawmakers have questioned the government about AI-powered glasses that can record sound and images, analyse people in real time and potentially enable biometric identification without consent. Tung has separately been asked whether Norway should use national powers available under European AI rules to prohibit certain forms of remote biometric identification, including commercial applications.

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Pending national rules, Tung has urged public authorities and private organisations to consider their own policies governing smart glasses inside buildings and workplaces. Education Minister Kari Nessa Nordtun has already encouraged schools to address the devices through their rules.

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