‘A stranger stopped me in the street and asked me for my number. Then I found out he was secretly filming me’
Seconds after Isobel Thomason rejected a stranger asking for her number on the street, he approached her again and shamelessly admitted: “I’m actually a content creator and I’m filming it.”
He also pointed to his glasses; Ms Thomason, 22, said the frames, which she said looked normal to her but later revealed, were actually smart glasses produced by social media giant Meta.
The glasses allow the wearer to film, navigate and even translate text using their lenses, but experts say they are increasingly being used to film women without their consent, putting them at risk of a host of harm online and in the real world.
Meta said it was aware and “concerned” that a small number of people were “misusing” its products despite the measures it has put in place to prevent covert recording, but said such problems were not unique to smart glasses.
But the victims told Independent They believe predators use the stealth nature of the glasses to invade women’s privacy.
The 22-year-old said the moment the man told him he was filming: “I literally felt my heart pounding at that moment.”
“I just thought, ‘Oh my God, this is so dystopian, it’s so weird.’”
She said the man approached her while she was alone in Manchester’s popular Northern Quarter and asked for her number. She says when he turned her down, she walked away without attracting his attention a second time.
Ms Thomason said the man later told her he regularly shared clips of himself approaching women on social media to “boost men’s confidence”.
Unlike other women who reported similar incidents, Ms Thomason was asked if she consented to her video being posted online; He said that he did not give this permission.
But he said he felt “violated” and “scared” that he was now in possession of a video he had no control over.
“I didn’t know I was being filmed until he told me,” he said. “He could have done anything with that video. Even if it was just for personal use, that’s a very worrying thing to consider.”
“I was furious that he framed it as doing something good, but I don’t want to be a part of boosting men’s self-esteem for the sake of being secretly filmed.”
After the incident, he researched the man on TikTok and found dozens of videos similar to a trend emerging on social media.
Videos are often met with misogynistic comments that mock women’s appearance and demeanor, and the creator can make money from all of this.
he said Independent He believes smart glasses should have a more distinctive appearance to prevent them from being used in these scenarios.
“Do they really need to look like regular glasses with a little camera on the front?” he asked. “It doesn’t make sense. It feels dark.”
“If I could have looked up and recognized them right away and realized I was being recorded, things would probably have been a little better.”
What are the risks for women?
Online Women’s Protection Center director Dr. Olga Jurasz said that cases of women being filmed without their consent are increasing. Independent.
He explained that incidents such as Ms Thomason’s were “concerning” for experts on women’s safety, but “sadly not unexpected”.
“I think overall over the last 10 years we’ve seen not just an increase in these behaviors, but also a commonality of them,” he said. Independent. “Not only are they increasing, but they are becoming much more common and, unfortunately, more normalized.”
She added that women face “multifaceted” harms from this behavior, including the risk of becoming victims of deepfakes, having to “protect” their privacy in public spaces, and being the subject of debate in comment spaces with “global” reach.
“It doesn’t really matter if he asks for permission after the fact,” Dr Jurasz said.
“He had the opportunity to say no, but he doesn’t know if the record has been permanently deleted.
“This type of behavior completely exposes the fact that women do not consent to this.”
Dr Jurasz added that the “secretive” nature of the glasses made them even more “worrying”.
Discussing the recent controversy surrounding Elon Musk’s Grok AI tool that produces “nude” images of women, Musk said men are largely allowed to “get away” from online behavior that harms women.
Currently, since Ms. Thomason is in a public place, it is not illegal to record the way someone is filmed.
“We are taking long overdue action to combat this type of behavior and we are providing legal space for it,” he said.
“I think we need to look at how we regulate and how we have laws that are truly fit for purpose. Women’s safety is not optional.”
A Meta spokesperson said the devices have an LED light that activates when content is captured and “tamper detection technology” to prevent people from turning off the light. They added that the terms of service “clearly state” that users must comply with the law and not interfere with the product.
“As with any recording device, including phones, people should use smartglasses safely and respectfully, which includes not engaging in harmful activities such as harassment, violating privacy rights, or intercepting sensitive information,” they said.
“We are aware and concerned that, despite the precautions we have put in place, a small number of users choose to abuse our products. We are committed to providing people with valuable, safe and innovative products, and we are constantly reviewing opportunities to improve our AI glasses based on customer feedback and ongoing research.”
TikTok said it took enforcement action against the account after being contacted. Independent.
Minister responsible for the protection and violence against women and girls, Jess Phillips, said: “The secret filming of women and girls is despicable and we will not allow anyone to profit from it.
“We are investing in appropriate police training on non-contact sexual offenses and supporting Project Vigilant, a smart, proactive approach that stops predators before they strike, day or night.
“This government will introduce new laws that make it a criminal offense to capture intimate images or install equipment to capture them without consent. No one’s privacy and security should ever be usurped.”
