Kmart and Target appear to have launched $89 smart glasses in Australia, lowering the financial barrier to wearable recording equipment and AI image recognition tools.
The launch coincides with escalating public debate over smart glasses and their capacity to record bystanders without their consent.
The Anko glasses mimic ‘normal’ thick-rimmed glasses, but sport a camera capable of taking 8 megapixel photos and 1080p video recordings.
They also boast speakers, a microphone, Bluetooth connectivity, and image recognition features through a connected smartphone app.
While Amazon and Temu offer smart glasses with similar features at a comparable price, the Anko-branded glasses could be the most accessible version released in Australia to date.
Meta has debuted its own line of smart glasses in Australia, but with prices starting at $469, the name-brand devices remain out of reach for many local consumers.
The proliferation of smart glasses is backdropped by widespread concerns the technology could be misused to surreptitiously record video, violating the privacy of onlookers.
Like the Meta smartglasses, the Anko device appears to have a light which flashes when the camera is in use, letting those around the wearer know they might be recorded.
A manual appears to tell users to “please abide by local laws and regulations and respect other people’s privacy”.
Speaking to Yahoo!, one Queensland consumer, who posted about the Anko glasses on TikTok, still feared the glasses could fall into the hands of “creeps”.
Shoppers shared similar concerns in a Facebook group dedicated to new products from the likes of Kmart and Target.
“This is actually really concerning,” said one commenter.
“Who knows who’s wearing genuine glasses or recording things they probably shouldn’t be?”
“For a small business these are great for filming content etc.,” said another.
“As a mother these scare the absolute shit out of me.”
Meta recently confirmed it will remotely disable Meta glasses that have been tampered with, and plans to remove content from Facebook and Instagram linked to those altered glasses.
It is unclear if the Anko glasses have similar features to disable recording if the light has been removed or deactivated.
While security measures are rapidly evolving, Meta says it is up to users themselves to use the glasses responsibly.
SmartCompany has contacted Target for comment.
- This article first appeared on SmartCompany. You can read the original here.
