New York becomes the first state to fully ban smart glasses from all courthouses. This new ban goes into effect on July 20. This applies to all 1,240 state, county, city, town, and village courts.
The ban isn’t just for smart glasses, but all eyewear and headwear equipped with cameras and microphones inside all Unified Court System facilities. This also includes smart glasses with prescription lenses. So if you do wear prescription lenses, make sure to bring your regular “dumb” glasses.
Other states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have already made the decision to not allow smart glasses on premises. However, New York is the first state to have a blanket ban on any sort of wearable cameras.
Those wearing smart glasses will need to leave them with uniformed court officers before they’re allowed inside a building. This includes everyone, lawyers and staff too.
The Android Headlines Take
While this might sound crazy, seeing courts ban virtually any wearable camera, it’s pretty obvious why. Many courts do not allow recording on premises. In fact, the rules of the New York State Unified Court System explicitly state that “taking photographs, films or videotapes, or audiotaping, broadcasting or telecasting, in a courthouse including any courtroom, office or hallway thereof, at any time or on any occasion, whether or not the court is in session, is forbidden.”
Essentially, New York is enforcing a set of rules that was already in place. This is unlikely to be the only state to do this, especially as smart glasses get more and more popular.
Royal Caribbean also recently banned smart glasses in certain areas of its ships. This includes public restrooms, Youth program areas, medical areas, and casinos. Basically, the areas where you’re not allowed to record anyway. MSC Cruises also issued a partial ban last year, while Illinois lawmakers are considering making them illegal for drivers.
The post New York Just Became the First State to Ban Smart Glasses From All Courthouses appeared first on Android Headlines.
