The Australian privacy regulator has opened an investigation into the China-based software company behind the HeyCyan app in Kmart’s $89 smartglasses, following public outrage over the covert use of the devices. In August, Guardian Australia reported Kmart had sold out of the Anko-branded discount version of Meta’s smartglasses that can capture images and record high-definition video, which led to widespread concern and calls to ban or restrict their use. A GetUp petition has had more than 55,000 signatures calling to restrict the use of what has been labelled as “pervert glasses”, and councils around the country have looked to ban the glasses in public spaces such as swimming pools.
The federal government is also considering a restriction on use in government workplaces. The Australian privacy commissioner, Carly Kind, was asked by the attorney general to assess the privacy implications of the glasses at the time. Kind wrote to Kmart and BDI Technology, retailers for the glasses, as well as Shenzhen Qingcheng, the app maker behind the HeyCyan app in the glasses.
She also wrote to Meta – for its Ray-Bans glasses – and Google which is planning its own smartglasses. In a blog post on Wednesday, Kind announced an investigation has been opened into Shenzhen Qingcheng after it failed to respond to inquiries, “as well as concerns arising from third party analysis of the technology itself as well as the entity’s privacy policy” None of the other companies will be investigated as part of this process, Kind said. The privacy commissioner also highlighted the difficulty in applying privacy law to individuals who may use the devices given the privacy act only applies to companies and Commonwealth agencies – not individuals.
In a subset of these videos, about 60% of interactions could be classified as potential harassment, with subjects visibly uneasy or attempting to disengage. Canterbury-Bankstown and Sydney City are among the councils in Sydney to have banned the glasses from some venues, as well as Brisbane in Queensland, and Yarra city council in Melbourne. Shenzhen Qingcheng was approached for comment.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
