ONE of Sydney’s largest councils has banned the use of AI-enabled smart glasses at its public swimming pools, joining a growing push by Australian councils to curb the technology over privacy and safety concerns.
Canterbury-Bankstown Council approved the ban on Tuesday by a large majority, covering all public swimming pools under its management.
The Guardian Australia reported Mayor Bilal El-Hayek describing the devices as “glasses for perverts”, citing concerns that they could be used to record people without their knowledge or consent.
Since the smart glasses were introduced, there have been reports of women being recorded without their consent, with some footage allegedly shared on social media.
Concerns have also been raised over recordings of women interacting with an influencer wearing the glasses before the footage was uploaded to social media platforms.
“Chat groups, Facebook, local community forums and TikTok are among the online platforms being used by women to express concerns about this smart technology threatening their safety and privacy,” El-Hayek told councillors at the meeting.
“The latest AI smart glasses are wearable devices equipped with high-resolution cameras and AI-based features such as real-time translation, object recognition and audio without covering the ears,” he said.
El-Hayek said the devices could not only record and share footage but also scan faces and potentially access and obtain information about individuals.
Last month, Brisbane became the first Australian council to publicly announce a ban on covert recording at its 21 public swimming pools amid growing concerns over child safety.
Yarra Council in Melbourne’s suburbs followed last week, voting to prohibit the use of smart glasses at its recreational and aquatic facilities, childcare centres and playgrounds.
Yarra Council also said it would press the federal government to introduce stronger privacy laws to protect the public from emerging technology. - September 17, 2026
