- Published
Fraser Fleming approaches the corner of a busy Glasgow city centre street and asks his smart glasses to describe the road ahead.
asserted
Fleming → publish → road
A voice coming from tiny speakers in the arms of the specs tells him there are several parked cars and a person walking in his direction.
asserted
voice → come → direction
For 44-year-old Fraser, who is registered blind, this is "game changing" information.
asserted
this → register → Fraser
"I know how to approach the street and what sort of care to take," he says.
"If I need to maybe take my time or if I can just walk at normal pace."
asserted
I → know → pace
Fraser, who began losing his sight in his early twenties, says his AI-powered Meta smart glasses have become part of his everyday life during the past two years.
asserted
glasses → begin → years
They help him to navigate public transport, read street signs and order from menus – but he's started to think twice about wearing them in public.
asserted
he → help → public
"People are calling them pervert glasses," he says, referring to multiple reports of them being used to secretly film and harass people, particularly women and girls, with the footage being shared online.
asserted
footage → call → people
Fraser says this is having a negative effect on anyone wearing them, including visually-impaired people.
asserted
this → say → people
"We are definitely not using them to record people in dodgy situations," he says.
asserted
he → use → situations
"We're using them to lead an independent life."
Fraser, from Motherwell, told the BBC's Your Voice he would often take his glasses off if he thought there was a chance of a confrontation.
"I've got enough to worry about getting from A to B," he says.
asserted
he → use → B
"I'll just put the glasses away and have to rely on my other senses in order to navigate around, which is going to make life a lot more difficult for me."
asserted
life → put → me
Tracey Rogerson, who uses the technology to help with her sight loss, shares Fraser's concerns.
asserted
who → use → concerns
"I was shocked to hear that they were being called pervert glasses because for me, they're such a big part of my life to help me maintain my independence," she says.
asserted
she → hear → independence
Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, started selling smart glasses in 2021, and has sold about two million pairs since February last year.
asserted
that → own → February
It says there is a light on the frames which makes it clear the smart glasses are recording, but it also warns users not to engage in harmful activities.
asserted
it → say → activities
As a result of the backlash against the glasses, some venues and events have banned or at least restricted their use over fears about covert filming, including ComicCon Scotland, which takes place in Edinburgh later this month.
asserted
which → ban → Edinburgh
This means Gordon Brown, who is severely sight-impaired and has attended the event with his family for the past three years, won't be going this year.
asserted
who → mean → years
He says the impact of the ban on people with disabilities has been overlooked.
asserted
impact → say → disabilities
"Even if I was to put my glasses on quickly, just to read a sign or something, I wouldn't feel comfortable," says Gordon, from Inverkip.
asserted
Gordon → put → Inverkip
"I think it's a matter of principle now, the fact that they're not willing to engage, and they're not willing to listen to a minority group.
asserted
they → think → group
"You know, we're not talking about thousands of people all of a sudden turning up wearing smart glasses."
asserted
thousands → know → glasses
Monopoly Events, which runs some of the biggest comic and entertainment conventions in the UK, announced in July that it had banned Meta glasses to "stop secret filming" of guests and attendees.
asserted
it → run → guests
The ban applies to Meta glasses and other "wearable recording devices."
asserted
ban → apply → glasses
The company was contacted by the BBC about Gordon's comments.
asserted
company → contact → comments
Cosplay artist and performer Teah Pearn was at a comic convention in Birmingham earlier this year when she was secretly filmed.
She later discovered the footage was posted online.
asserted
footage → film → Birmingham
Teah, who performs as Spill The Tea and has 1.9 million followers on TikTok, says she felt "violated".
asserted
she → perform → TikTok
"He was purposefully trying to provoke me or purposefully trying to make strange comments to get a reaction out of me so that he could get that perfect clip that he could post on social media and capitalise off it," says the London-based artist.
uncertain
artist → try → it
Teah says her experience demonstrates why restrictions are needed, but she thinks there should be exceptions for people with disabilities.
asserted
she → say → disabilities
"For people who need the glasses and who really have to use them, I think they should be able to use them," she says.
asserted
she → need → them
"They shouldn't have to deal with the fact there's been a certain group of people who have spoiled it for them."
asserted
who → have → them
In a statement, Meta said: "We are proud that our AI glasses give blind, low-vision and hearing-impaired people greater independence in daily life.
asserted
glasses → say → life
"They were built to be noticed, which is why every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video.
asserted
you → build → photo
It cannot be turned off and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it."
asserted
someone → turn → it
The Aporia
