California governor vetoes smart glasses recording ban bill

The governor of California has officially vetoed a proposed bill that would have regulated the use of smart glasses for secretly recording individuals. Had the legislation been successfully enacted, California would have marked the first state in the nation to impose strict rules on smart glasses technology, coming at a time when other nations such as Norway are also exploring potential bans on the technology.

The rejected bill was primarily designed to prevent people from being captured on video or audio in public spaces without obtaining their explicit consent. This legislative push emerged amid a growing surge of wearable gadgets equipped with cameras and microphones that persistently listen to and record surrounding environments, such as internet-connected eyewear developed by Meta and Snap. Several alternative hardware wearables, including AI-driven pendants, have also entered the market to mixed public reactions.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Under the terms of the vetoed legislation, violators would have faced severe consequences including potential fines or prison time, while hardware manufacturers failing to comply would have faced financial penalties as well. State Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes, who authored the bill, noted in previous statements that the legislation was intended to help California effectively address the rapid proliferation of always-listening technologies.

Consumer skepticism and widespread criticism have led critics to dub these controversial devices as pervert glasses following numerous reports involving individuals being recorded and harassed. Privacy concerns intensified further when Apple announced that its newest Apple Watch software update incorporates an always-listening capability, enabling users to replay transcripts of the past 15 seconds and summarize daily conversations.

Source: TechCrunch