Woman blackmailed by smart glasses with 'humiliating video' as fears about wearable tech grow
It feels like we're back in a grim episode of Black Mirror, with another claim that some of that futuristic tech we've all been raving about could be used against us. While most of the negative press about the tech world tends to be confined to artificial intelligence and fears that it'll take our jobs or go rogue and wipe out the human race, other corners of the tech world continue to be cause for concern.
Away from the typical reports of bad actors being able to hack into our phones and exploit our devices against us, do we now need to worry about other seemingly everyday gadgets?
We previously covered the bizarre way smart devices like lightbulbs could be hacked by nefarious people, while many have heard those horror stories about malware hacking your webcam and watching you get your rocks off.
The BBC has reported on the shocking case of a woman in the United Kingdom who claims she was filmed via a man's smart glasses, then blackmailed with a 'humiliating' video of herself. Going under the alias of 'Alice', the woman says she was walking in a London shopping center and was approached by a man wearing smart glasses. Telling her side of the story, she explained: "In the moment I just thought 'OK this guy is just trying to talk to me, to chat me up'.
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"I was hoping that he would leave me alone eventually but he did actually follow me."
Although she doesn't go into greater detail about what the 'humiliating' video involves, Alice says a friend alerted her after it had been shared on social media and viewed around 40,000 times. The outlet explains how these videos are often posted under the guise of men giving dating advice to others online, but obviously not agreeing to be featured, Alice contacted the owner of the page and asked for it to be removed.
She was told this could only be done as a 'paid service', and although she never considered paying, she said, "It made me feel exploited, powerless."
Reporting the incident to the UK's Metropolitan Police, an investigation was opened, but "despite initial enquiries, officers were unable to progress the investigation due to limited information."
When the BBC reached out to the man involved, he refused an interview but reiterated that his intention is "always been to create light-hearted, respectful interactions."
Defending himself, he said, "I do not engage in harassment or deliberately seek to make anyone uncomfortable."
When grilled on why he wouldn't remove the video, the unnamed man said: "Where individuals have expressed genuine discomfort, I have reviewed content on a case-by-case basis and made adjustments where appropriate." TikTok clearly thought the video was inappropriate, removing it from the short-form video platform and banning the account for breaching its rules on bullying and harassment. Still, he reposted the Alice video on another site.
He maintains that he wasn't blackmailing Alice and that the 'paid service' comments are in relation to editing and usage arrangements: "I understand how that wording may have been interpreted differently, and I regret that it was not clearer."
The BBC's investigation uncovered several accounts linked to the same man on YouTube, Instagram, and Threads, with all posting similar content, seemingly filmed without someone's consent.
Dr Beatriz Kira, an assistant professor from the University of Sussex law school, referred to it as 'extremely worrying', noting that people can make money simply from sharing this content thanks to the likes of TikTok's Creators Rewards Programme. She urged for more to be done from platforms to stop these videos from being shared, concluding that we need "solutions not only focused on taking down the content but really cutting incentives at the root."
As for Alice, she's still worried about the video's impact: "He's got the file, which still makes me feel uneasy, still constantly having to check back and see if he is uploading the video again. I just feel powerless."