Rapid Increase on Social Media: Women Made the Unknowing Stars of "Pranks" - The Boundary of Smart Glasses Videos

Rapid Increase on Social Media: Women Made the Unknowing Stars of "Pranks" - The Boundary of Smart Glasses Videos

"Unnoticeably Filmed" in the City—Paris Smart Glasses Unauthorized Filming, What the Investigation Questions

When someone points a smartphone at you on the street, you might realize you are being filmed. However, if the person is merely wearing glasses with a camera, it's harder to make that judgment. Multiple investigations revealed in Paris highlight this change in daily life.

On September 22, 2026, the Paris prosecutor's office announced the start of multiple investigations following complaints that women were filmed on the street without consent using smart glasses, and the footage was posted online. The prosecutor's office views this as a growing trend on social media. In some cases, it involves non-consensual sexual contact, making it a subject of sexual assault investigation as well. At this point, what has been indicated is the initiation of investigations, not the establishment of facts or guilty verdicts for each case.


Who Pays the Price for "Entertaining Videos"?

e-Enfance, which operates the online victim consultation service "3018" in France, reports a pattern where young women are approached on the street, filmed with glasses without their knowledge, and their confused reactions are posted as "pranks" or street interview-style videos. The main platform for these posts is said to be TikTok.

According to information released by the organization on September 8, about 20 consultations related to women unknowingly filmed with camera-equipped glasses had been received since the beginning of 2026. Later, an official from the organization told AFP that there were about 30 consultations. These are different numbers at different times of announcement, and the total scale of the damage cannot be understood from the number of consultations alone.

Those who are filmed cannot choose how the video is edited or how it will be treated in the comments section. According to the organization, there are cases where ridicule, misogynistic remarks, and threats accumulate after publication, and there was an instance where a girl filmed at a music event received a death threat. The problem doesn't end with the moment of being filmed.


Reactions on Social Media—Laughter, Criticism, and Secondary Victimization

Visible reactions on social media include ridicule, insults, and threats towards the posted videos. These are contents that victim support organizations have actually received consultations about. Meanwhile, the same organizations and activists working against online violence criticize the structure of earning views by troubling the subjects. It is best to avoid treating posts with unverifiable sources as the "majority voice of the internet."

According to AFP, while multiple videos were deleted from TikTok due to the consultation center's efforts, there were also accounts that reposted videos or continued to make new posts. Sharing comments for amusement can also expand the damage for the person involved. When conveying reactions on social media, care must be taken not to spread the victim's face or the original video again.


Recording Indicator Lights Are Not a Substitute for Consent

The French data protection authority CNIL points out that smart glasses look like regular glasses, making it difficult for nearby people to judge whether recording is taking place. This is because the action of pulling out and holding up a smartphone is eliminated. In a survey conducted by CNIL at the beginning of 2026, 67% of respondents perceived smart glasses as a privacy invasion risk.

In response to AFP's inquiry, Meta explained that their product has a blinking light indicating recording, and if the light is covered or broken, the camera cannot be used. However, noticing the recording and consenting to filming, editing, and publishing are separate judgments. e-Enfance also argues that the visibility of the light does not imply consent to filming or publication on social media. It is necessary to consider the safety design of the product, the behavior of the poster, and the response of the platform distributing the video together.


Questions Linked to Street Videos in Japan

In Japan, videos showing street interviews or reactions of passersby are not uncommon. If smart glasses become widespread, the chances for people captured in these videos to realize their faces or voices are being published will likely decrease further. Just because the filming location is a public road does not mean that identifiable footage of others can be posted unconditionally.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department guides that unauthorized publication of photos that can identify individuals may constitute an invasion of portrait rights. However, the crime names or penalties that became the subject of investigation in France cannot be directly applied to Japanese cases. Evaluations in Japan also depend on individual circumstances such as the manner of filming and publication, and the content of the footage.

The filmed person may not realize it, be edited, and only find out after posting. To change this order, posters need to confirm the subject's consent, and platforms need to respond to deletions and reposts after reports. Viewers also have the choice not to spread the reactions of troubled people as entertainment. In a society that enjoys the convenience of smart glasses, a system that does not leave behind the will of those being filmed is necessary.


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