What we know so far: New York is set to become the first state to issue a blanket ban on smart glasses inside the courtroom. Effective July 20, headwear and eyewear containing cameras / microphones or other recording technology will be prohibited in more than 1,240 state, county, city, town, and village courts across the state.
According to a memo from the Office of Court Administration that was seen by Syracuse.com, the ban applies to all types of glasses and headsets with recording technology – even those with prescription lenses. Furthermore, it applies to everyone coming into the building including court staff and attorneys.
Signs regarding the ban are already in place at the entrance of some courts in the state. Those entering the building are encouraged to bring a set of regular glasses if prescription eyewear is needed.
Per the memo, the goal of the ban is to prevent people from covertly recording court proceedings – an activity that is in violation of both state law and local court regulations. Doing so could, for example, accidentally (or intentionally) reveal the identity of jury members.
Smart glasses remain among the most controversial categories of consumer technology. When the first wave of devices from Google hit the scene in the early 2010s, the backlash was fierce – so strong, in fact, that Google discontinued its headset shortly after.
Now roughly a decade later, companies like Meta have brought smart glasses back to the forefront of consumer technology, arguing that the ability to record content hands-free can outweigh privacy concerns so long as guardrails are implemented.
While consumers and manufacturers alike seem more prepared this time around, privacy advocates still are not happy with the prospect of hands-free recording devices becoming the norm. Some headsets, like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, feature a capture LED that lights up when the wearable is recording. Any attempt to cover or disable the capture LED will automatically disable the camera, Meta noted in a recent release.
Image credit: Anne Hayes, Syracuse.com