Why Meta's smart glasses will never win me over: A privacy nightmare

A campaign group called Everyone Hates Elon has

A campaign group called Everyone Hates Elon has launched a series of guerrilla advertisements and an email drive against Meta's smart glasses, with a spokesperson declaring, 'Most people don't want pervert glasses that can film us without our consent.' More than 20,000 individuals have signed up to legally object to being recorded by the glasses under data protection laws.

Rights organizations have raised alarms that these glasses pose a serious threat to privacy, and some countries, including Germany, are reportedly considering banning them. Despite Meta's safety guidelines stating that smart glasses should not be used for 'harassment, infringing on privacy rights, or capturing sensitive information,' numerous women have taken to social media to recount instances of being filmed by men without their knowledge or consent.

As a Guardian columnist and Opinion editor, I've delved into why the combination of surveillance fears and the behavior of 'creepy men' makes it impossible for me to ever embrace these glasses. The technology, while innovative, seems to enable a culture of non-consensual recording that is deeply unsettling.

The public backlash is not just about the

The public backlash is not just about the device itself but about the broader implications for personal privacy in public spaces. The idea that anyone could be secretly filmed at any moment, without any visible indication, is a chilling prospect for many.

While Meta may tout the benefits of hands-free photography and connectivity, the potential for abuse is too significant to ignore. Until there are robust safeguards and clear social norms around their use, I remain firmly unconvinced and wary of this technological intrusion into our daily lives.