Norway proposes AI smart glasses ban: write your recording policy

Norway's government plans to propose a temporary ban on AI smart glasses in selected public places, including fitness centers with changing rooms, healthcare facilities and shopping centers. Reuters, via The Irish Times, calls it the first major country to propose this. You do not need to run a business in Oslo for this to land on your desk. If the public walks into your space, you need a smart glasses recording policy now.

What actually happened

Per AP and Reuters:

• Torgeir Micaelsen, Norway's minister of digitalization and public governance, announced the plan on October 5. The proposal goes to the Storting, Norway's parliament, "as soon as possible."
• The stated concern: people can be photographed, filmed or audio-recorded without knowing it.
• Places named include healthcare facilities, gyms with changing rooms, schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs. Concerts, sporting events, parks, beaches, museums and shopping centers may also be covered.
• It is not a total ban. Private use and some locations stay open. The pause gives an expert group time to propose permanent national rules.
• Some Norwegian organizations already act alone. Reuters reports that Oslo schools and energy company Equinor's offices have their own bans.

Why it matters for your business

Regulation follows the places, not the device. Look at the list: gyms, clinics, retail. Those are small-business locations. When rules come to the U.S., expect them to read like this one, with your front door as the boundary.

The capture light is not your policy. We wrote in August that the recording LED on Meta's glasses is enforced in software. A firmware update can change it. Your policy must work even when no light is on.

Write it once, post it, train on it. A one-page policy covers most of the risk:

1. Where cameras and recording glasses are not allowed (changing rooms, exam rooms, back office, point of sale).
2. What staff say when they see them, word for word.
3. Whether staff may wear them on shift, and where that footage goes.
4. A sign at the door. Clear signage is cheap, and it settles arguments before they start.

Your own footage counts too. If your team uses AI glasses for inventory, training or field work, that footage has customers in it. Decide who stores it, how long you keep it, and which AI services may process it.

Sources: AP via ABC News, Reuters via The Irish Times.