ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — The federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved restrictions on importing camera-enabled smart glasses, the Finance Division said on Wednesday, adding a national step to a growing argument over eyewear that can quietly film people.
The decision came on a summary from the Commerce Division at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The committee also recommended that the provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory bring in workplace rules on how the devices are used.
The statement did not name any brand, and it did not say when the restrictions start, whether they amount to a complete ban, or what happens to glasses already in the country. Devices such as Ray-Ban Meta glasses would fall under the description, since they have built-in cameras.
Why this has come up
The concern is that such glasses look like ordinary eyewear but can take pictures, record and livestream without anyone nearby noticing.
In Punjab, the Home Department banned wearing camera-enabled smart glasses and miniature hidden cameras for 30 days on October 20, along with selling them in shops or online, citing privacy and security and the risk to women and children in particular. Phones, laptops and tablets approved by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority were exempt, as were authorised law enforcement personnel.
A petition in the Lahore High Court has also challenged their unregulated import and sale. It told the court that Meta does not list Pakistan as a market for the glasses, but that they are on sale in Lahore, including at Hafeez Centre. The court issued notices to the federal government, the telecom authority and the Commerce Ministry in September.
If you own a pair or plan to buy
Nothing in the ECC statement so far tells existing owners in Pakistan to do anything. In Punjab, however, wearing or operating these glasses is barred while the order is in force, and that order is due to run until about November 19 unless it is withdrawn or extended. Anyone planning to bring a pair from abroad should wait for the Commerce Ministry to publish the detail.
