Meta Glasses in the workplace: policy and protection

As smart glasses become more popular, Canadian employers are increasingly having to consider what their use could mean for workplace privacy, employee data and security. Meta's AI glasses are one of the most prominent examples of this technology, which can offer hands-free access to cameras, audio and AI-powered features. In this blog, we’ll look at how to identify smart glasses in the workplace and some of the privacy considerations employers may want to account for in their policies.

Why might your employee start wearing smart glasses?

If you work in an industry that deals with sensitive information, you might be inclined to wonder whether someone is using smart glasses to capture or disclose information from your workplace. While this is a legitimate concern, there may be a much less insidious reason for an employee to start wearing them.

They could simply have taken an interest in vlogging or documenting their activities for content or personal use. While this may be innocent, recording in the workplace can raise many of the same privacy and confidentiality concerns as using a phone or handheld camera, particularly where sensitive information or other employees could be captured.

You may have limited control over what an employee does with footage once it leaves the workplace, which makes it important to consider what your existing policies say about recording and handling confidential information. Smart glasses don't necessarily need to be treated as a threat in themselves, but their ability to record video and audio means they may warrant the same consideration as other recording devices.

Spotting smart glasses on an employee

If you suspect an employee is wearing smart glasses, a good place to start is simply asking them. As mentioned, there may be an innocent reason for wearing them, so open communication and a reminder of any applicable workplace policies on recording can often resolve the issue.

If you have concerns about smart glasses being used to record in the workplace, there are some features that may help you identify them:

Thicker side frames

Smart glasses may have thicker frames to accommodate internal electronics, including antennas, speakers, batteries and other components.

A camera on the front frame

Advances in technology have made some cameras harder to spot, but many smart glasses have one or more small camera lenses positioned around the front of the frame. Some models also have an LED indicator to show when recording is taking place.

Touch or other controls

Some smart glasses can be controlled by tapping the frame, pressing a button or using voice commands. Depending on the model, you may notice an employee interacting with these features.

These aren't absolute indicators of smart glasses, and each feature could have a reasonable explanation. Rather than making assumptions, clear communication and an understanding of your workplace policies can help you address concerns appropriately.

Adding a smart glasses policy to your employee handbook

You may already have policies covering mobile phones, privacy, social media, recording or the use of company technology. Depending on your existing policies, you may be able to incorporate smart glasses into these rather than creating an entirely separate policy. This can help make expectations around recording, privacy and confidential information clear to employees.

Here’s a basic structure to consider when developing or updating your workplace policy:

Purpose

Explain why your workplace has rules around smart glasses and what risks their use could present. This could include employee privacy, the recording of confidential information and potential security concerns.

Expectations

Clearly explain how employees are expected to use smart glasses in the workplace and identify any circumstances where their use may be permitted, such as approved videography or other official business purposes. If certain areas or activities have restrictions on recording, these should also be clearly communicated to employees.

Disciplinary action

If an employee breaches the policy, refer to the disciplinary procedures set out elsewhere in your employee handbook and consider the circumstances of the incident when deciding how to respond. Where particular conduct may constitute serious misconduct, your existing policies should clearly explain the types of behaviour that could lead to disciplinary action, while leaving room to assess each incident on its individual circumstances.

Consistent data protection in the workplace

Smart glasses may be a newer source of potential security and privacy concerns, but they certainly aren’t the only way these issues can arise. Before you start putting on a tinfoil hat and investigating every dark surface for a hidden camera, make sure you’ve got basic data protection protocols in place. This can help you avoid unnecessary problems and keep good data protection practices at the heart of your workplace.

Things such as mandatory training on applicable privacy and data protection requirements, appropriate rules around company devices and browsers, bring your own device policies and more can go a long way towards reinforcing strong data protection practices in your workplace.

We have an extensive suite of expert guides and articles in our resource hub to help you stay on top of your workplace data protection practices.

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