Fraser Fleming approaches the corner of a busy Glasgow city centre street and asks his smart glasses to describe the road ahead. A voice coming from tiny speakers in the arms of the specs tells him there are several parked cars and a person walking in his direction. For 44-year-old Fraser, who is registered blind, this is "game changing" information.
"I know how to approach the street and what sort of care to take," he says. "If I need to maybe take my time or if I can just walk at normal pace." Fraser, who began losing his sight in his early twenties, says his AI-powered Meta smart glasses have become part of his everyday life during the past two years. They help him to navigate public transport, read street signs and order from menus – but he's started to think twice about wearing them in public.
"People are calling them pervert glasses," he says, referring to multiple reports of them being used to secretly film and harass people, particularly women and girls, with the footage being shared online. Fraser says this is having a negative effect on anyone wearing them, including visually-impaired people. "We are definitely not using them to record people in dodgy situations," he says.
"We're using them to lead an independent life." They were labelled 'pervert glasses'. Will a camera-free version transform their image? The Meta glasses revolution - is it okay to film people in public?
TikToker faces police probe over secret filming using 'smart glasses' Fraser, from Motherwell, told the BBC's Your Voice he would often take his glasses off if he thought there was a chance of a confrontation. "I've got enough to worry about getting from A to B," he says. "I'll just put the glasses away and have to rely on my other senses in order to navigate around, which is going to make life a lot more difficult for me." Tracey Rogerson, who uses the technology to help with her sight loss, shares Fraser's concerns.
"I was shocked to hear that they were being called pervert glasses because for me, they're such a big part of my life to help me maintain my independence," she says. Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, started selling smart glasses in 2021, and has sold about two million pairs since February last year. It says there is a light on the frames which makes it clear the smart glasses are recording, but it also warns users not to engage in harmful activities.
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