Adelaide seeks to restrict smart glasses in public places — ABC News Australia
Adelaide City Councillor Phillip Martin plans to introduce a motion next week to examine possible restrictions or a ban on smart glasses with built-in cameras in certain public spaces in the Australian city. These include park areas, libraries and meeting rooms, ABC News Australia reports.
Martin explained the initiative by citing concerns about secretly recording people without their consent. According to him, the owner of such glasses can record simply by looking at the person they are speaking to. The councillor particularly stressed the risks for women and children in public places.
Experience of other Australian cities
The initiative emerged after similar steps in other parts of Australia. A week earlier, Yarra City Council banned smart glasses at playgrounds, childcare centres and sports halls. In August, Brisbane City Council announced a blanket ban on the non-consensual use of any devices with cameras, including wearable gadgets, phones and action cameras.
Martin's proposal was supported by several other city councillors, including Eleanor Freeman. She called for an examination of the effects of restrictions on artificial intelligence glasses introduced in Melbourne and Brisbane.
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Debate over exemptions
The Adelaide Fringe venue Gluttony is also considering banning such devices. Venue co-director Daniel Michael said that rules may be needed, in particular because filming is prohibited during certain performances.
At the same time, Michael Hutchinson, chair of the See Differently advisory committee, urged authorities to take into account the benefits of smart glasses for blind people and people with low vision: the devices help identify objects and read labels. South Australian Greens parliamentarian Robert Simms intends to introduce a bill next month to ban smart glasses in schools, childcare facilities, playgrounds, swimming pools and gyms, providing exemptions for assistive devices for people with disabilities.
Last month, the Australian federal government said it was not currently considering a ban on smart-glasses imports, but noted that local councils could restrict the use of such devices. The Local Government Association of South Australia said that technological development was outpacing existing regulation.
