Norway has announced that it intends to impose a temporary ban on the use of AI-powered smart glasses in specific public and sensitive places. The proposal, set out by the Norwegian government, is centered on privacy — more specifically, on concerns that the devices could be used to record people without their knowledge.

The privacy concern is no longer limited to cameras built into eyewear. AI smart glasses can now combine microphones, cloud connectivity, and real-time processing inside frames that look unobtrusive, making covert recording harder to detect. Norway's action places it alongside European authorities and businesses already grappling with the same privacy questions.

Selected places, not a blanket ban

Under the proposal, restrictions would cover locations including parks, beaches, museums, shopping malls, and public events. Norwegian authorities have also signaled that schools, kindergartens, and playgrounds could be added to the list, along with healthcare institutions and gyms or swimming pools that have changing rooms. Universities may also be brought within scope, according to the government's announcement.

Digitalisation and Public Administration Minister Torgeir Micaelsen said the provisional solution is intended to give authorities time to work out permanent rules.

“We do not want a society where people are concerned about hidden audio recordings, photography and filming in places and situations where they are used to being without being monitored,” Micaelsen said in the government statement.

The government is stopping short of a full ban. People may continue to use the glasses privately or in situations that pose a lower risk, and exceptions will also be made for use among vulnerable groups and for uses with an evident social purpose.

Because the restrictions are temporary by design, the map of covered places is not fixed: several of the signaled categories have yet to be confirmed, leaving the final scope to be settled alongside the permanent rules.

From 'already covered' to a ban

Norway's position has shifted quickly, a notable change from Oslo's earlier posture. In a September parliamentary response, Micaelsen said the ministry had already decided to establish an expert group. Officials were also considering restrictions on facial-recognition functions in public spaces and encouraging organizations to decide for themselves whether smart glasses should be allowed on their premises, according to the Storting response.

Norway's data protection authority (Datatilsynet) had also urged the government to consider more specific rules, including restrictions on where the devices may be used and safeguards around biometric identification, according to an analysis by law firm Stephenson Harwood.

Read together, the two positions trace a shift from softer tools — an expert group and venue-by-venue discretion — toward location-based restrictions set by the state.

A continent-wide reckoning

France is facing similar concerns. Paris prosecutors opened a criminal investigation linked to allegations that women were covertly filmed with Meta Ray-Ban glasses, as Cryptopolitan previously reported.

Retailers have also taken action in the face of privacy concerns. In the Netherlands and Belgium, Dutch optical retailer Hans Anders stopped selling Meta Ray-Ban glasses over privacy issues. In the UK, pub chain Wetherspoon has limited their use amid concerns about secret recording — a stance that sits awkwardly with Meta's claim that the light indicating when the camera is on cannot be turned off, and that covering it means the camera would not work, as reported by Reuters.

The responses span prosecutors, an optical retailer, and a pub chain — and so far they converge on the same product: Meta's Ray-Ban branded glasses.

Why vendors are watching

The regulatory initiative has emerged as manufacturers invest heavily in smart glasses and the category begins to reach mainstream consumers. Bank of America research forecasts that shipments will surpass 10 million units in 2025 and reach 55 million units by 2030. Forrester data presented in the same report indicates that the share of US adults who have experimented with smart glasses will grow to about 17% in 2025, from 4.0% in 2024.

For the category, the detail to watch in Norway is scope: the proposal has been announced but not finalized, and the permanent rules meant to follow the temporary ban will determine where the devices remain usable.

The bigger challenge for vendors may no longer be making smart glasses useful. It may be convincing people that the devices can be worn without making everyone around them feel watched.