Smart glasses to be banned from WA public schools

Smart glasses will be banned from public schools in Western Australia to prevent children from being secretly filmed, the state's education minister has announced. The devices, which look like ordinary glasses, allow the wearer to capture images, video and audio with the press of a button, and have attracted the nickname "pervert glasses" because it is not always clear when they are in use. Education Minister Sabine Winton said students, teachers, parents and contractors would be banned from wearing or storing the glasses on school premises from the start of term 4. "Smart glasses may look cool but there's absolutely no place in our schools for them," she said. "We know the devices are becoming increasingly popular and increasingly accessible and cheap and there is a growing community concern about the risk of careless, criminal and malicious activity." There is growing support for a ban on the import of low-cost devices that are being used to film people without their consent. An ABC investigation found the devices were exposing Australians' sensitive data, images and videos to hackers. It comes after the City of Vincent last week instructed its chief executive officer to prepare a report for the council to consider the privacy and safety concerns stemming from the use of smart glasses in city-owned facilities, including recreational centres and libraries. The report will consider whether the Perth council's existing laws, which ban the use of devices to record someone without their consent at a community facility, are sufficient, and whether it is necessary to beef up enforcement powers. Loading