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The UK is considering a ban on smart glasses in swimming pools and changing rooms amid a growing number of cases in which women are secretly filmed without their consent. The government is examining measures to restrict the use of the devices as part of its efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, the Daily Mail reports.

Smart glasses, one of the latest innovations in wearable technology, allow users to take photos, record video and audio, and communicate hands-free. While they can be useful for people with visual or hearing impairments, the devices are increasingly at the center of controversy over covert filming.

During parliamentary debates on Wednesday, MPs raised concerns that men were secretly recording women using the glasses and then posting the footage online, sometimes for financial gain.

Liberal Democrat MP Anna Sabine said women often do not discover they have been filmed until videos featuring them have already gone viral.

“Women are telling us that they wake up after nights out to discover that men wearing smart glasses have filmed them without their knowledge or consent, and that the footage has been shared across the internet,” she said.

According to the MP, the only indication that the glasses are recording is often a small LED light on the frame. However, Sabine claimed that some retailers offer to remove the indicator, making it impossible for people nearby to tell when they are being filmed.

UK Home Office representative Satvir Kaur said the government was exploring options to restrict the use of smart glasses in certain locations and by specific categories of users. She added that work on the proposals was being fast-tracked.

The restrictions could specifically apply to swimming pools and changing rooms. Similar measures have already been introduced in some Australian local authorities. The Liberal Democrats have also called for people convicted of sexual offences to be banned from purchasing the devices.

However, Conservative MP Alicia Kearns warned the government against introducing overly broad restrictions without clearly explaining where and to whom the ban would apply.

“Secretly filming women is a perversion, and no woman should have to come home after a night out and discover herself on a stranger’s page,” she said. At the same time, Kearns urged ministers to avoid blanket bans and instead strengthen laws against covert filming. She noted that it was the Conservatives who had secured the criminalization of upskirting, an offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

Baroness Daviess, a prominent women's rights advocate, also warned that new technologies could attract men with malicious intentions. She said women, girls and children could all become victims of such behaviour.

Alex Davies-Jones, the minister responsible for tackling violence against women and girls, described camera-equipped glasses as “particularly problematic.” However, she noted that devices without cameras could be beneficial, pointing out that some MPs use them in their work.

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