The Australian privacy regulator has initiated an investigation into a China-based software firm linked to the HeyCyan application found in Kmart’s $89 smartglasses. The probe follows significant public backlash regarding the covert capabilities of the devices.
Commissioner attention was drawn to Shenzhen Qingcheng, the company responsible for developing the app, after it failed to respond to official inquiries. The optical device, sold under Kmart’s Anko brand as a more affordable alternative to Meta’s smartglasses, is capable of capturing images and recording high-definition video.
Concerns escalated in August when reports emerged that Kmart had sold out of the Anko-branded glasses. This scarcity triggered widespread alarm and led to mounting calls for a ban or stricter restrictions on the use of such surveillance-capable technology.
So the regulator is finally waking up, but by then everyone already bought these things. Too little, too late?
I wonder if Meta or other big players lobbied for this probe to get the cheap competition banned?
Did we really need another privacy scandal from cheap tech? $89 for glasses that spy on us is a hard pass.
This is terrifying. The fact that the app developer ignored official inquiries says everything about their intentions.