Oslo Bans Smart Glasses in Schools Over Fears Children Could Be Caught in Meta’s Data Collection
Oslo has decided to prohibit the use of smart glasses in schools due to concerns that children may be recorded without their awareness, and thus be included in the data collection of technology companies.
The ban, which was implemented on August 27, will be in effect during the entire school day and for all grades in the capital of Norway. The measure was designed to protect children, as smart glasses are becoming more common and more powerful, the municipality said.
The use of the devices around schools is problematic, said Julie Remen Midtgarden, Vice Mayor for Education in Oslo, because children should not be subjected to a technology they cannot always see they are being recorded with.
Smart glasses can take photographs and record videos, make phone calls, play music, translate languages, display information and maps, and interact with artificial intelligence assistants. The technology has also sparked new privacy worries after reports that Meta is working on a facial recognition system that could be added to its smart glasses.
Midtgarden said the devices were already being sold and used in Norwegian school environments, and that the discussions on regulation were not enough to solve the concerns.
The ban was postponed due to a political truce after King Harald V died on August 28, and was announced on September 10.
The transfer puts children’s privacy and digital protection at the heart of the burgeoning discussion around wearable technology and AI in schools.
