PETALING JAYA: The growing use of smart glasses to discreetly record people in public is raising concerns in Malaysia, as the technology could facilitate privacy violations, image-based sexual abuse and the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).
Cybersecurity and emerging technology lawyer Thulasy Suppiah said being in a public place should not mean a person could be deliberately singled out, filmed without their knowledge and have the footage uploaded online without consent.
She said there is a distinction between someone appearing incidentally in a public recording and being deliberately targeted, particularly when the footage is sexualised, humiliating or monetised.
“Devices such as smart glasses make the act of recording far less obvious. Once the footage is online, the victim can quickly lose control over how it is copied, manipulated or redistributed.”
Her comments come amid research from the University of Sydney, which analysed 350 publicly available Instagram videos posted between 2023 and 2026.
It found that around 60% of covert point-of-view videos involved interactions classified as potential harassment, while about 43% exposed women to abusive online commentary.
Thulasy said an outright ban on smart glasses might not be practical because mobile phones and concealed cameras could also be misused; instead, regulation should focus on harmful conduct and higher-risk functions.
She said Malaysia already had several laws that could potentially apply, including Section 509 of the Penal Code, Sections 507E and 507F, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Online Safety Act 2025 and the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act.
The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 could also be relevant if personal or biometric data was processed commercially, while the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 provides specific protection involving child sexual abuse material.
Thulasy said the Cybercrimes Bill 2026, passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara in July, was intended to address computer-generated or manipulated content, including AI-generated intimate images and deepfakes.
However, she cautioned that it should be regarded as incoming legislation until Royal Assent, gazettement and commencement are confirmed.
Meanwhile, Women’s Aid Organisation executive director Nazreen Nizam said covert recording could deprive women of control over how they are seen and represented.
“Being on the LRT or having a meal in a restaurant or being out and about is not an invitation to become someone else’s content,” she said.
She stressed that consent to being recorded should not be interpreted as consent to having footage uploaded and viewed by strangers.
Nazreen called for closer coordination between police, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and online platforms, including urgent removal of abusive material, evidence preservation, and access to counselling and legal assistance.
