Korea privacy watchdog warns smart glasses wearers over filming and recording

The Personal Information Protection Commission said Monday it had issued a set of precautions for smart glasses users, citing growing concern over privacy intrusion and cheating. The commission said it is preparing a privacy guideline for smart glasses, covering obligations for manufacturers and service providers, to be released before the end of the year.

Smart glasses carry cameras, microphones and sensors, and link to generative artificial intelligence to process what the wearer sees and hears. Because they resemble ordinary spectacles and require no separate action to start recording, those nearby find it hard to tell whether they are being filmed or recorded, the commission said. Manufacturer indicator lights meant to signal recording can be hard to notice or can be covered, and some models can record while not being worn.

The data captured travels through phones, AI models, cloud services and third-party apps, giving smart glasses a more complex data-handling chain than other devices. Because the wearer is usually the one filming, the people in the frame are typically bystanders — which the commission said raises the risk when their images or voices are fed into AI training or social media.

Users should check how each device and app uses their data before agreeing to collection, and switch off unnecessary functions, the commission said. It advised against wearing smart glasses in places where photography is banned, such as restrooms and changing rooms, as well as in courthouses and exam rooms, and warned that indiscriminate filming can be punished under relevant laws. Users should tell those around them when filming or recording, and stop if the other person objects, it added.

Companies also carry duties. AI service providers must clearly disclose why they collect data and how it is processed, and must obtain consent before using it for AI training. Manufacturers should design devices so people nearby can easily tell when they are operating, the commission said. It will draft the detailed rules in consultation with the science ministry and other government bodies, and will keep revising privacy rules for wearables and physical AI devices.

"Smart glasses are moving into people's daily lives, and the risk of personal information and privacy violations is becoming a reality," said Song Kyung-hee, chair of the commission. "The Personal Information Protection Commission will keep improving the system to respond to new technologies such as smart glasses, and will keep working so that innovation is not hindered while people's personal information is protected."