Canterbury-Bankstown, one of Sydney's largest councils, has voted to prohibit AI-enabled smart glasses at its public aquatic facilities following mounting community concerns about covert recording and privacy violations. The decision, passed on Tuesday evening, makes the council the third local government in Australia to implement such a restriction, joining Brisbane and Melbourne's City of Yarra in taking action against the technology.
Councillors have received numerous complaints from residents worried about the potential for predators to exploit smart glasses for secret filming in change rooms, swimming pools and near schools. Mayor Bilal El-Hayek characterised the devices as a serious threat to public safety, telling the council chamber that women across multiple online platforms—including chat groups, Facebook, community forums and TikTok—have been expressing alarm about the technology's capacity to record without detection.
The ban will apply to Birrong Aquatic and Leisure Centre, Max Leisure Centre Revesby, Roselands Aquatic Centre, and the council's fourth public aquatic facility. Staff will be empowered to ask patrons wearing smart glasses to remove them or leave the premises. Exemptions will be granted to people who depend on the devices for accessibility purposes, including those with vision impairment or who rely on them for navigation assistance.
What are smart glasses and why are they causing concern?
Smart glasses are wearable devices equipped with high-resolution cameras and artificial intelligence capabilities including real-time translation, object recognition and open-ear audio functionality. Since their commercial release, reports have emerged of women being filmed without consent, with footage subsequently shared on social media by content creators and influencers. The technology's discreet nature makes it difficult for people to know when they are being recorded, distinguishing it from more obvious recording devices.
How widespread is the ban across Australia?
Brisbane became the first Australian council to publicly announce restrictions on covert filming at its facilities in August 2026. However, Brisbane's rules were framed as a ban on non-consensual use of all camera-enabled devices, including smartphones and action cameras, not solely smart glasses, with the policy set to roll out across all 21 council pools in the following weeks. Melbourne's City of Yarra followed suit the following week, voting to prohibit smart glasses from its leisure and aquatic facilities, childcare centres and playgrounds, while also committing to urge the federal government to strengthen privacy legislation.
In Sydney's eastern suburbs, Randwick council has also implemented a ban at the Des Renford leisure centre. The council stated that signage has been installed at entrances and anyone wearing smart glasses will be asked to remove them or leave. The decision was driven by what the council described as "growing community concerns" about potential misuse of the technology.
These local government actions reflect a broader pattern of venues and organisations taking independent action. Monopoly Events banned Meta glasses and other wearable recording devices from UK conventions after guests raised concerns about secret filming, and Meta's smart glasses have fuelled a privacy debate as the technology spreads, with content creators using them for social media while regulators, venues and women's rights campaigners raise concerns about covert recording and harassment.
What do privacy advocates say?
Tom Sulston, head of policy at Digital Rights Watch, praised the council decisions as essential steps to protect public spaces.
We all need to be able to go out in public without fear of being covertly recorded and having the images uploaded to the internet without our consent,he said, adding that he looked forward to seeing not only councils following Brisbane's lead but also state and federal governments implementing stronger protections.
Sulston emphasised that
it was vital that councils across Australia ensure that public spaces like swimming pools are safe for families to enjoy without the threat of unwanted video surveillance.
What is the federal government doing?
Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has not ruled out banning smart glasses but has acknowledged the complexity of regulating the technology. In August 2026, she wrote to Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind raising concerns she had received from the community about their growing uptake and requesting the issue be given priority consideration.
Privacy is an essential part of all our lives; it allows us to be who we are with dignity and without fear,she stated at the time.
Rowland noted that smart glasses present a distinctive challenge because they may be used more discreetly than other recording technologies, making it harder for people to know when they are being recorded.
The government is continuing to work on the next phase of privacy reforms to ensure our privacy laws are fit for purpose in the digital age.However, the federal attorney-general said the Commonwealth was not currently considering an import ban on smart glasses, but did not rule out other measures.
What has the online safety regulator recommended?
Australia's eSafety Commissioner has urged manufacturers of smart glasses to make it clearer when someone is filming and to implement safeguards against non-consensual recording. In advice to industry published at the end of August, the office warned that while smart glasses with cameras—such as Meta's Ray-Ban—can offer genuine accessibility benefits to people with low vision or blindness, companies must not pit "accessibility benefits against safety and privacy considerations." The regulator noted that incidents of misuse had already been documented.
What legal protections already exist?
Queensland's Criminal Code section 227A already prohibits recording people without consent in circumstances where a reasonable adult would expect privacy, providing a legal foundation for enforcement in that state. However, the patchwork of state-based privacy laws and the difficulty of detecting covert recording with smart glasses have prompted calls for stronger federal legislation and clearer industry standards.
Key Facts
- Canterbury-Bankstown voted on Tuesday to ban smart glasses at its four public aquatic centres, becoming the third Australian council to implement such a restriction.
- The ban applies to Birrong Aquatic and Leisure Centre, Max Leisure Centre Revesby, Roselands Aquatic Centre, and one additional facility, with exemptions for people who require the devices for accessibility or navigation.
- Brisbane, Yarra and Randwick councils have already implemented similar bans, with Brisbane's policy covering all camera-enabled devices and set to roll out across 21 public pools.
- The federal government has not ruled out stronger privacy laws but has indicated the complexity of regulating the technology, with the Attorney-General requesting the Privacy Commissioner prioritise the issue.
- Smart glasses' discreet recording capability and documented instances of non-consensual filming have driven both local government action and calls from privacy advocates for stronger federal legislation.
