Norway’s government said on Monday, October 5, that it will propose a temporary ban on AI glasses in selected places. It worries that people could be photographed, filmed or recorded without knowing it. An expert group will advise on permanent national rules.
New to this? Read it in simple words
- Norway wants to ban AI glasses for a while in some public places.
- Parks, schools, shopping centres and gyms with changing rooms could be covered.
- The worry is that people get filmed or recorded without knowing it.
- It is not a total ban, and the bill has no date yet.
- AI glasses
- Glasses with a built-in camera, microphone and AI assistant.
- Expert group
- A team of specialists who advise the government on new rules.
What the government plans
Norway’s government will propose a temporary ban on using AI glasses in selected places, it said in a press release on Monday. NRK, the news agency NTB and Reuters all reported it.
The list includes places where the public often gathers, such as parks, beaches, museums, shopping centres and public events, NTB reports.
It also includes places for children, such as schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs. Health institutions and gyms with changing rooms are on it too.
From the Norwegian government’s announcement as reported by NTB, NRK and Reuters.
Why
“I am worried that new, powerful technology is being introduced where people risk being photographed, filmed or audio-recorded without knowing it,” Digitalisation Minister Torgeir Micaelsen said, in Reuters’ translation.
“We do not want a society where people are worried about being monitored,” Micaelsen told NRK, in our translation.
The temporary ban is meant to give time for a proper study and debate. A new expert group will advise on permanent national rules.
What is still open
It is not a total ban. Private use, and use where no one risks being filmed without consent, would still be allowed, Reuters reports.
The government will still decide which devices the ban covers: glasses with a camera and microphone, glasses with AI, or other body-worn cameras.
The bill will go to parliament “as soon as possible”. We found no start date and no fines in the reports.
Companies in Norway have already acted: the bank DNB has banned AI glasses at work, E24 reports. In the Netherlands, the optician chain Hans Anders paused sales of Meta’s glasses last week.
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
- 1
- 2Research · October 5, 2026Regjeringen vil ha midlertidig forbud mot KI-briller på utvalgte steder NTB, via Aftenposten
- 3Research · October 5, 2026Norway to propose temporary ban on AI glasses in some public places Reuters
- 4
The government’s plan comes from Norwegian and international news reports, which agree. Where translations differ, we follow the Norwegian wording; the announcement did not name Meta.
Norway’s planned ban on AI glasses in some public places is a government proposal with no start date yet. How we rate the mood