Kmart’s camera glasses have been taken down from the retailer’s website following the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)’s decision to open an investigation into the tech accessory.
The glasses, which some have said are styled after the Meta Ray-Ban Glasses, launched in July and sold out in less than a week.
However, the OAIC shared earlier this week that it will formally investigate software developer Shenzhen Qingcheng Future Technology, which builds the software for the glasses.
In a blog post, the OAIC confirmed it had been “monitoring the roll out of smart glasses since early 2026” and had since received correspondence from the attorney-general requesting the privacy commissioner examine the privacy implications of smart glasses devices.
Earlier this year, in August, inquiries were made to several distributors and manufactures of smart glasses, not just Shenzhen Qingcheng.
Others included Meta (for its Ray-Ban glasses) and Google (which is planning on launching its own smart glasses).
All entities were required to explain how the smart glasses work and record information, who has access to the recorded information and where it is stored.
The OAIC has revealed it did not receive any response from Shenzhen Qingcheng, the Chinese manufacturer f Kmart’s smart glasses, in relation to the preliminary inquiries.
“In the absence of any response from Shenzhen Qingcheng to the OAIC’s preliminary inquiries, I have no assurance that it is protecting personal data of Australians as required by the Privacy Act,” said privacy commissioner Carly Kind.
“The failure of Shenzhen Qingcheng to respond to the OAIC’s inquiries raises concerns about the entity’s practices, procedures and systems to protect the personal information it holds, as required by APP 1.
“In those circumstances I considered it was important to commence an investigation so that I could utilise my full range of powers to examine this issue, including issuing compulsory information gathering notices.
The Anko smart glasses, which take videos and photos through a camera built into the frame, are no longer available for purchase.
The retailer, however, is still selling a $39 pair of speaker glasses, which play music and take calls, but have no built in camera.
B&T has contacted Kmart for a statement.
