"Norway Weighs Temporary Ban on Smart Glasses in Public Spaces"
Smart glasses
AI-powered eyewear with built-in cameras, microphones, and sometimes displays for recording or overlaying information.
Ambient recording
continuous or easily-triggered audio/video capture without an obvious separate act like raising a phone.
Wearable computing has grown from personal devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Now we have smart glasses, smart watches, and headbands. These newer devices have small cameras, microphones, and artificial intelligence (AI) processing. People wear them on their body, often as part of the wider Internet of Things (IoT). As wearables become common, they create problems for privacy laws. These laws were written for an earlier time of visible devices.
Old privacy laws assumed that recording needed a visible action. For example, holding up a camera or phone. In India, the Right to Privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21. This was decided in the K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India judgment. In the European Union, the EU AI Act classifies surveillance-related AI systems as high-risk. These systems need transparency and human oversight before they are used. Neither framework was written for head-worn, always-on recording devices. This is exactly the gap that Norway's proposal tries to close.
Norway's government is preparing a proposal. It would temporarily ban smart glasses use in specific sensitive public spaces. These spaces include schools, playgrounds, youth clubs, healthcare facilities, fitness centres, locker rooms, beaches, parks, museums, and concert venues. Importantly, the proposal does not ban sales or private use of the devices. Instead, it asks an expert committee to study the technology. The committee will design a lasting legal framework. Oslo has already banned smart glasses in its municipal schools.
The central problem is consent. A smartphone must be visibly raised to record. This gives bystanders a clear signal. Smart glasses break this assumption. Smart glasses can record video and audio without a visible cue to bystanders. …
Right to Privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty. Discuss the content of this right and refer to relevant cases.
The Right to Privacy was held to be a fundamental right intrinsic to which Article of the Constitution of India, in the landmark K.S. Puttaswamy case?
Match List-I (Country/Region) with List-II (Regulatory response to smart glasses) and select the correct answer using the codes given below:
List-I
A.Norway
B.Netherlands/Germany
C.United Kingdom
D.Thailand (Bangkok)
List-II
1.A retailer suspended sales of AI smart glasses pending regulatory clarity
2.A cinema association restricted camera-equipped glasses in theatres
3.A government proposed a temporary ban on device use in sensitive public spaces
4.Use was restricted in certain pubs and public places
Consider the following statements regarding Norway's proposed moratorium on smart glasses:
1.It seeks to ban the sale of smart glasses nationwide.
2.It targets device use in places such as schools, healthcare facilities, and locker rooms.
3.It proposes setting up an expert committee to evaluate technological challenges and frame lasting legal frameworks.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements about the European Union's AI Act:
1.It classifies certain AI systems used in surveillance and evaluation as 'high-risk', requiring transparency and human oversight.
2.It imposes an outright global ban on the sale of all AI-powered wearable devices.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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