Norway Seeks Temporary AI-Glasses Ban in Parks, Schools and Other Public Places

Wearing AI glasses in a Norwegian park, on a beach or at school could soon face a legal restriction. Norway’s government said on October 5, 2026, that it would introduce legislation for a temporary ban in selected public places, buying time for an expert group to recommend permanent national rules.

The concern is what the glasses capture from people around the wearer. Digitalization Minister Torgeir Micaelsen said people risk being photographed, filmed or recorded without knowing it. He described the temporary restriction as a way to allow a thorough assessment and informed debate before permanent regulation.

Where restrictions could reach

The government intends to bring its proposal to the Storting, Norway’s parliament, as soon as possible. The locations under consideration extend beyond schools and places traditionally treated as private. According to the Associated Press, officials are considering restrictions across three broad groups of settings:

• Places where privacy is particularly important, including healthcare facilities and fitness centers with changing rooms and showers.
• Spaces where children gather, including schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and youth clubs.
• Other public settings, including concerts, sports events, parks, beaches, museums and shopping centers.

The government says it is not seeking a total ban: smart glasses should remain permitted in some places and for private use. It described appropriate use as situations with no risk of recording people without their consent.

We do not want a society where people are concerned about hidden audio recordings, photography, and filming in places and situations where they are used to being without being monitored.

Torgeir Micaelsen, Norway’s digitalization minister

Devices and exceptions still to be decided

The proposed pause would also give authorities time to decide which types of devices should fall under the restrictions and whether permanent regulation is needed. Alongside that assessment, the government plans to establish an expert group tasked with recommending national rules for AI glasses.

Officials are considering exceptions for vulnerable groups so that socially beneficial uses can continue in some circumstances. Those exceptions are still under consideration, rather than settled permissions. The proposal therefore leaves both the device boundary and the terms of those exemptions to be worked out.

Existing bans and recording safeguards

Some Norwegian institutions have already imposed their own restrictions. Schools in Oslo have banned AI glasses, while oil and gas company Equinor has barred them from its offices and offshore facilities. Those are existing institutional bans, distinct from the government’s planned legislation for selected public places.

Meta, whose Ray-Ban glasses are among the devices drawing privacy concerns, advises wearers to respect people’s preferences and stop recording when asked. The company says a light signals recording and that the camera automatically disables if the glasses detect the light has been blocked or physically tampered with. Those safeguards address recording behavior; Norway’s proposal would govern where the devices may be used.