Norway's government has announced plans for a temporary ban on AI-enabled smart glasses in certain public spaces, citing fears that people could be photographed, filmed or audio-recorded without their knowledge. The proposal is to be put to the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, "as soon as possible".

Smart glasses look like ordinary spectacles but contain a camera, a microphone and an AI assistant. According to the government, the ban could apply to places that attract large crowds, such as parks, beaches, museums, shopping centres and public events, and to spaces where children gather, including schools, kindergartens and playgrounds. It could also cover privacy-sensitive settings such as hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and gyms with changing rooms and showers. Officials are still considering whether universities should be included. Private use would remain allowed, and the government is weighing exceptions for vulnerable groups, such as blind and visually impaired people, for whom the devices can be useful.

Digital affairs minister Torgeir Micaelsen said he was worried that powerful new technology was being introduced where people risk being recorded without knowing it. "We do not want a society where people worry about being recorded without their knowledge," he said, warning that such a climate could make people withdraw from public life. The temporary ban would give the government time to research the issue, including which technical features should be covered, for example cameras and microphones alone, or only devices that also have AI functions. An expert group will advise on permanent rules. Because the Labour Party leads a minority government, it needs support from other parties to pass the measure.

The move comes amid a patchwork of restrictions elsewhere. Some UK cinemas and pubs have restricted the glasses, citing privacy and film piracy, and Dutch eyewear retailer Hans Anders has suspended sales of Ray-Ban Meta glasses. In the Netherlands, parliament wants a clearer ban, and consumer and children's rights groups have threatened legal action against Meta unless sales stop within two weeks. In the United States, a class action against Meta has been under way since March, while California's governor vetoed a bill that would have penalised secret recording with the glasses in places such as changing rooms. French child welfare group E-enfance reported about 20 cases this year of women filmed without consent, mostly involving Meta glasses.

Meta, which has sold at least 9 million pairs of its Ray-Ban glasses since 2023, says each camera-equipped pair has an LED that blinks during recording and cannot be switched off, and that the camera is disabled if the light is covered. Critics question whether the light is visible in bright sunlight or at a distance. Privacy International welcomed Norway's move, saying no one expects to be secretly surveilled in daily life. Experts note that nobody knows how often the glasses are actually misused, and that more wearable devices that listen or see are on the way, so the debate over how to keep such technology in check is likely only beginning.