Watch Out! Creeps In Smart Eyewear

Smart Glasses are touted as the future of eyewear. But some creepy men are using the ‘smart gaze’ to secretly film women at public places, post their morphed photos online and then harass them. Undeterred by privacy rules, some ‘smart eye spy’ have even disclosed ‘mobile number’, ‘address’, ‘specs’ and personal information of the innocent victims in the public domain. “The biggest concern is that smart glasses can secretly record people,” says Himanshu Yadav, Cybersecurity Expert and Founder, Hackintech, Delhi.

The Modus Operandi

It begins innocuously. A stranger with smart glasses may simply chat you up on the beach, café, park, or on public transport and secretly record you via his/her smart glares. Smart glasses are equipped with cutting-edge technology, productivity enhancers, hands-free memory keepers, et al. Across the world, many women have been victims of this disturbing reality. Twitch streamer Herculyse, a woman from the US, was approached by a man in a supermarket, who secretly recorded her via his smart glasses and then uploaded the video online. In another case, a young woman (Oonagh) sunbathing on Brighton beach, UK, was secretly filmed by a man wearing smart glasses. Her online video was viewed by millions of people. What really freaked her out was the volley of derogatory messages and vulgar comments online.

Sly Recording In Progress

Unlike a phone camera—where the act of filming is obvious when someone lifts the device—smart glasses resemble ordinary eyewear, making recording far harder to detect. With major brands now in the market, including Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, Google Glass variants, and upcoming AR glasses from Apple and others, a woman may not even realise she is being recorded. This invisibility opens the door to non-consensual filming across public spaces such as gyms, public transport, workplaces, and social settings. Himanshu says, “The real danger isn’t the recording itself but what happens next.” The recorded footage is shared online, edited, photo-shopped and used for blackmail and harassment.

Stealth Smart Innovation

Smart glasses look like ordinary glasses. But they perform more than just vision correction. Hidden within these frames are tiny cameras. Usually placed near the lens or temple, they record photos and videos from the wearer’s point of view. Filming can begin with a simple tap on the frame, a subtle gesture, or just a voice command. Himanshu says, “Some brands also include a tiny LED light to signal recording. That tiny little light can be hard to notice.”

Tripti Parmar, a Cybersecurity Researcher, feels that from a real-world perspective, the conversation around smart glasses isn’t just technical, it’s how invisible technology changes everyday comfort. Tripti opines that these glasses are nothing but quiet sensors sitting on someone’s face, constantly capable of capturing and transferring data to phones and cloud systems.

The worst part is the complete absence of any global standard that guarantees bystanders will be alerted when a recording begins. Your permission is never sought. By the time you realise what may have happened, the moment is already captured—stored, shared, and potentially misused.

Legal Point Of View

Advocate Prachi Pratap, Supreme Court says, “Fundamentally, these smart glasses are an invasion of privacy.” The rise in recording without consent has steadily eroded personal autonomy and blurred the boundaries of privacy in public spaces. Adv. Prachi says that from a legal standpoint, an FIR can be filed by invoking provisions on voyeurism under the BNS along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. An e-FIR can also be lodged and is not limited by territorial jurisdiction. In cases where the recording has been uploaded online or constitutes digital abuse, the cybercrime cell can be approached. Victims may also place takedown requests with the concerned platforms, and if required, serve legal notices to ensure the removal of content and initiate further legal action.

Adv Likitha Avare, a Corporate Lawyer & Legal Advisor, points out that privacy is no longer limited to private spaces alone. “Even in public spaces, individuals have a reasonable and legitimate expectation of not being secretly recorded for misuse.”

Using built-in recording features without consent directly violates informational privacy and personal autonomy. Cases of smart glasses being misused are on the rise in India, too. Women have spoken out against the harassment and harm caused by the misuse of smart glasses.

Victims Across The Spectrum

While women bear the brunt of voyeurism, children become unwitting extras in someone else’s ‘smart’ footage. Men, too, find their private moments going public. Adv Likitha says, “Children in particular, are at a high risk due to issues of consent, exploitation and child safety.” Any non-consensual recording of individuals, irrespective of age or gender, raises serious ethical and legal concerns.

Experts caution people to be alert around those wearing smart glasses. Smart glasses are far more powerful than they appear. Himanshu says, “Beyond recording, many can livestream, capture audio, sync to the cloud and plug into AI tools.” Not just that, conversations can be stored, footage uploaded in real time, and personal data pushed to remote servers. This isn’t just a privacy breach—it’s a cybersecurity and data protection risk hiding in plain sight.

Dignity vs Smartness

Smart glasses aren’t inherently evil. Many features genuinely empower persons with disabilities to navigate spaces, aid elderly people, and enable hands-free communication. But the problem isn’t the tool; it is the absence of legal checks. As technology grows more intimate—moving closer to our eyes, ears and bodies—the duty to protect consent must grow heavier, not lighter. No amount of ‘smart wear’ can justify stripping someone of their dignity.