UK cinemas consider banning "spy glasses" amid fears over secret filming
The high-tech specs let wearers discreetly record using a miniature camera embedded in the frame.
A small light flashes and a shutter sound is made during taping.
Many of the UK’s chains could introduce "policies to prohibit and/or restrict the wearing of camera-enabled smart glasses", according to the industry’s trade body.
All of the major operators are considering their approach to the tech, according to the UK Cinema Association, as they respond to the rise of what some people have nicknamed "spy glasses" or "pervert glasses".
Last week, it was announced Wetherspoons would ban the glasses over privacy concerns as well as courthouses in England and Wales. The owner of theatres across London, the Edinburgh Playhouse and the Bristol Hippodrome, ATG Theatres, will also prevent attendees from recording using the glasses.
’Pervert glasses’ have sparked concerns around the safety of women and children in public, following a concerning rise in videos filmed using the glasses being posted online, prompting calls for them to be banned.
As well as taking pictures and recording footage, Meta glasses enable conversations - including translations - with AI, listening to music and taking calls.
So far, no bans have officially been issued, as far as the UKCA is aware, as cinemas seek to balance possible film recording and privacy concerns with the accessibility benefits some users can get from the glasses.
A Meta spokesperson said the glasses "provide critical new technology for people in the blind and low-vision community".
"Limiting how people can use this technology would be a major step backwards," they added.
"Naturally, some places shouldn’t be filmed at all, and that’s reasonable, but rules should be applied consistently. Our glasses have a light that turns on to let people know when a photo or video is taken, something smartphones and other cameras don’t have."
What are Meta Glasses?
Meta Glasses are smart glasses developed by tech firm Meta (formerly Facebook) in partnership with apparel brand Ray-Ban, which merge the technology of a smartphone with glasses.
They cost anywhere from £269 to £459.They look like ordinary glasses, but the design features a built-in camera, speakers, microphones and AI, allowing users to take photos and videos hands-free, listen to music and livestream directly from the device.
This material can be downloaded onto other devices, such as your mobile phone, and uploaded onto various platforms and the internet.
The newest versions incorporate Meta AI, which allows wearers to ask questions about what they are looking at, with the glasses using the camera, microphones and an internet connection to respond.
Meta’s terms allow it to store, copy and share videos users upload from the glasses, subject to privacy settings.
A Wetherspoons spokesperson said on Thursday: “Like many hospitality companies, Wetherspoon has CCTV cameras for security reasons, but their use is strictly controlled by data legislation.
“Apart from that, the general code that applies in our pubs, and most pubs, is that you can’t film customers or employees without their permission.
“Meta glasses seem to breach this code, and common sense, by enabling surreptitious surveillance, so our instinct is to say turn off the cameras.
"This is akin to our efforts to stop audible playing of videos in our pubs, which also invades people’s space.”
Deputy Editor
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