Norway’s government will ask parliament to temporarily ban the use of AI glasses in selected public places, from parks and beaches to schools and gym changing rooms, citing the risk that people are photographed, filmed or recorded without knowing it. The government announced the plan Monday and said a bill would come as soon as possible.
“I am worried that new, powerful technology is being introduced where people risk being photographed, filmed or audio-recorded without knowing it,” Digitalization and Public Governance Minister Torgeir Micaelsen said, according to Reuters. He said a temporary ban would buy time for a thorough assessment and an informed debate before permanent rules.
The ban could cover places where the public regularly gathers, including parks, beaches, museums, shopping centers, amusement parks and sports, music and cultural events. It could also apply to schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs, and to privacy-sensitive settings such as doctors’ offices and other health facilities, swimming pools and gyms with changing rooms and showers. The government will also consider including universities and colleges.
It is not a total ban. Private use, and use in places where the wearer is not at risk of filming others without consent, would still be allowed, and the government plans exemptions for vulnerable groups and for limited uses that benefit society. Officials still have to decide which devices the rule covers: glasses with cameras and audio recording, glasses with cameras and AI features, or other body-worn devices with cameras, microphones or AI. An expert group will advise on permanent national regulation of body-worn technology.
The Financial Times called Norway the first major country to propose such a ban. Parts of Norwegian society have moved first: schools in Oslo and the energy company Equinor, the country’s largest company, have already barred the glasses, the FT reported, while Australia is weighing limits in some public spaces and courtrooms in several countries have banned them.
The proposal lands as Meta, Google and OpenAI pitch smart glasses as a possible successor to the phone as the main way people reach AI, a bet that rests on devices that can see and hear what is around the wearer.
Sources
- https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/vil-innfore-midlertidig-forbud-mot-ki-briller/id3175516/
- https://www.reuters.com/technology/norway-propose-temporary-ban-ai-glasses-some-public-places-2026-10-05/
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/sci-tech/2026-10-05-norway-wants-ban-on-ai-glasses-in-parks-and-beaches/
- https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/10/05/norway-first-country-to-propose-temporary-ban-on-ai-glasses-in-public-places/