"Please only bring traditional eyewear to the dance floor," the venue wrote on Instagram
If you've ever encountered someone wearing smart glasses — technology that allows you to record audio and video hands-free — you know firsthand that it's an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. Now that this technology has become easily available, there's been an increase in its use in public spaces, including concerts, bars, restaurants, and even out on the street. Public filming — and the violation of privacy that comes with it — is an ongoing discourse on social media because of its non-consensual nature, and these glasses are making it even harder to detect.
Luckily, there are some establishments pushing back against this technology. In a new effort to protect the privacy of its guests, popular Toronto bar and nightclub Wiggle Room — located at 772 Dundas Street West — has announced that they are banning smart eyewear, including Meta glasses, from its location.
In a post shared to Instagram yesterday (September 3), Wiggle Room wrote that in their "continued efforts in maintaining a safer dance space and to protect the privacy of their patrons," all smart glasses will not be permitted inside the venue.
"Please only bring traditional eyewear to the dance floor," the caption concluded.
The new rule was received positively in the post's comment section, with users writing that this move should be standard policy everywhere, and thanking the venue for its efforts to ensure guests can enjoy a safe night out.
As reported by blogTO, Toronto's Ground Control on Queen West has also banned smart glasses, citing that "this intrusive and unneccessary eye ware [sic] can be used for nefarious purposes."
This past summer, a new nightclub, Complex19, opened downtown and is enforcing a no-cameras policy, a decision that owners shared was made to ensure that "people can actually enjoy themselves and not have blue light over the dance floor."
A post shared by Wiggle Room (@wiggleroomtoronto)
A post shared by Ground Control (@groundcontroltoronto)
