EU data protection board: smart glasses should make recording obvious

The European Data Protection Board, the EU's central data protection body, says AI-powered smart glasses should make it obvious when they are recording. Its chair, Anu Talus, said in a statement that the glasses should give clear warnings before they film their surroundings. The statement was reported by Norwegian news agency NTB on 14 October 2026.

Talus listed several ways to do this: strong LED lights, sound signals, privacy alerts on smartphones, or a distinctive design that marks the glasses as recording devices. The article's photo caption notes that smart glasses from Meta and Ray-Ban are on sale in Norwegian shops, and that the board wants such products to signal clearly when they capture video of the people and places around the wearer.

The statement follows several cases across the continent in which girls and women were secretly filmed with what the article calls "pervo glasses," a term for smart glasses used to record people without their knowledge.

Norway has already moved on the issue. At the start of the month, the Norwegian government said it intends to introduce a temporary ban on AI glasses in places where "the public goes." The article names parks, beaches, shopping centres, playgrounds, schools and kindergartens, training facilities and health institutions as examples.

Taken together, the EU board's call for visible recording signals and Norway's planned temporary ban show regulators responding to concerns about covert filming with wearable AI devices, as such glasses become available in ordinary retail stores.