Wearable Tech Raising Privacy Concerns for Companies

Wearable smart technology largely started with watches. These devices grew popular quickly as consumers (myself included) proved we were willing to pay for the convenience of not having to reach into our pockets to access our smartphones. However, as the wearable tech market expands, new devices are raising privacy concerns.

Glasses and headsets are the new frontier, and naturally, most of these products use cameras to allow the tech to interface with the user’s environment. These products raise typical privacy concerns, including those related to non-consensual recordings. Additionally, “AI-enabled” smart glasses raise nuanced legal concerns. This AI functionality has drawn the attention of US and EU lawmakers. Recently, two senators inquired about Meta’s AI-enabled glasses. A recent Fox Rothschild memo discusses the letter and summarizes the information requested:

• “The retention and use of captured images to train AI systems, including through human review. This may involve using sensitive data for purposes that people would not ordinarily expect when moving through public or semi-public spaces.
• The disclosure of sensitive footage to contractors for AI training. This expands access beyond the people in the immediate vicinity to a potentially much larger and unknown group.”

This tech is obviously raising privacy concerns for companies in the wearables market from a compliance standpoint. However, other companies should also consider the implications. With discreet recording abilities, anyone in an office wearing such a device could create a digital record of sensitive or proprietary information. What’s more, they may unwittingly share this information with AI companies that receive the data for the purposes of AI training. This isn’t necessarily as nefarious as it sounds. Imagine a busy lawyer. Maybe the lawyer records a client meeting, or snaps a picture of a document so they can review it later without the hassle of scanning it into their computer. There are many valid use cases where the wearer may not consider the full implications of their pictures and recordings. Companies should consider how to approach wearables in their policies and consider limiting their use in office environments. Especially those operating in regulated industries like law and healthcare where data privacy is paramount.