Australia Seeks Urgent Review of A$89 Camera Glasses as Privacy Laws Face New Test
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · Aug 7
Australia Seeks Urgent Review of A$89 Camera Glasses as Privacy Laws Face New Test
3 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Aug 7
Summary
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland on Friday asked Australia’s privacy commissioner to urgently review smart glasses after Kmart’s A$89 Anko camera glasses quickly sold out.
The concern is that low-cost glasses can discreetly record video, photos and audio, then transfer that material to phone apps for editing, sharing and possible wider data use.
Current federal privacy law largely governs organizations, not individual wearers, leaving gaps around covert filming of bystanders even as apps and platforms handling the data may still be covered.
Other laws could still apply in serious cases, including state surveillance rules on recording conversations, the federal anti-doxxing offense and eSafety powers to seek harmful content taken down.
The review lands as cheaper wearables push recording into everyday public spaces, intensifying calls for privacy-by-design rules rather than relying on individuals to police the technology.