Norway considers ban on camera-enabled wearable ‘pervert glasses’
Norway's government is weighing bans on camera-enabled smart glasses and facial recognition in public to protect privacy.
Norway's digital minister Karianne Tung said the government is considering regulating or banning camera-enabled wearables such as Meta and Snap smart glasses over privacy concerns. Potential measures may include banning facial recognition of other people in public places. The government plans to set up an expert group to advise on better protecting privacy rights amid a trend of combining AI with cameras and microphones in everyday devices.
- Devices dubbed 'pervert glasses' have drawn consumer backlash and civil liberties criticism.
- Norway previously licensed fixed-odds betting under Law 14,790/2023; no wearable regulation is finalized yet.
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In Brief
Posted:
6:11 AM PDT · September 2, 2026
Image Credits: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Norway is considering a ban on smart glasses and other camera-enabled wearable headsets as it seeks to regulate the controversial technology amid privacy concerns.
The country’s digital minister Karianne Tung, as quoted by the AFP news agency , said that the government is looking to regulate the use of camera-enabled wearables, such as those made by Meta and Snap. These wearables feature cameras, are internet-connected, and may soon include facial recognition , drawing ire from civil liberties advocates, who say the devices intrude on people’s privacy. Some call the devices “pervert glasses,” prompting considerable consumer backlash.
Norway’s Tung said there is a “clear trend toward combining artificial intelligence with cameras and microphones built into glasses, headphones, hats and other objects we use in everyday life.”
“We must prevent this equipment from being used to monitor other people in public places,” said Tung, who added that this may include banning the use of facial recognition of other people in public places.
Tung plans to set up a group of experts to advise the government on better protecting people’s privacy rights.
Topics
cybersecurity , Government & Policy , In Brief , Meta , Norway , Privacy , privacy , Security , SMART Glasses , TC , wearables
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Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/02/norway-considers-ban-on-camera-enabled-wearable-pervert-glasses/