Redditor Asks If It's 'Unreasonable' To Tell Coworker To Take Off AI Glasses When Speaking To Them

It constantly feels like life is a catch-up game with technology.

Every time society reconciles with a new gadget or an AI innovation, the goal post gets moved.

There are so many mechanisms that can record absolutely everything.

And a lot of recording is done without knowledge or consent.

How will all of this affect the workplace atmosphere?

Redditor AussieDripbear wanted to discuss their experience and get some feedback, so naturally, they came to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subreddit.

They asked:

""AITA Is it unreasonable to ask a colleague to take off her AI glasses when speaking to me?"

The Original Poster (OP) explained:

"A woman at my workplace recently bought Meta-Rayban glasses and now wears them everywhere."

"She has normal prescription glasses."

"I know they are not necessarily recording all the time, and I’m not trying to make a big deal out of someone’s personal tech."

"But I feel uncomfortable having conversations with someone wearing glasses that can record audio and video without it being immediately obvious."

"It feels different to someone holding up a phone, because at least then you know you may be recorded."

"Would it be unreasonable or petty to ask her to take them off when speaking with me, or is this a fair privacy boundary in the workplace?"

The OP was left to wonder:

"So... AITA?"

Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed in on some options to the question, AITA:

• NTA – Not The A**hole
• YTA – You're The A**hole
• NAH – No A**holes Here
• ESH – Everyone Sucks Her
• INFO - More Information Needed

Redditors declared that OP was NOT the A-hole.

"Those should be banned in the workplace- NTA; talk to your H[uman] R[esources] person because those are an invasion of privacy." ~ MasterRKitty

"I got a pair for free."

"I would not wear mine in a workplace."

"I wouldn't wear them in a bathroom."

"I 1000% believe there are places they will just never be appropriate to wear. Ever."

"It's just not okay."

"Using them to listen to music or act as a 'dash cam' while on my bike is one thing."

"Private homes, offices, schools, etc."

"They are banned unless stated otherwise."

"Other places, they just can't come out."

"It's not cool." ~ DefinitelyNotAliens

"Grossly inappropriate in the workplace - you'd need people's permission to record them (same as recording Teams calls), and in places I've worked, would be against any number of policies."

"I mean, what if it recorded sensitive financial information, customer information, etc." ~ shendy42

"NTA, go to HR."

"Depending on your job, they may not even be allowed at work."

"Especially since there are ways to disable the light that indicates that they are recording." ~ tidewatercajun

"Most companies are privately owned, and they can put down different restrictions when it comes to recording."

"I agree that they should go to HR."

"Most likely they'll have safeguards put in place regarding recording, so OP won't have to be the person to say anything." ~ camebacklate

"NTA. This might be an issue for HR."

"Tell them that in addition to making you personally uncomfortable, this person might be recording company data."

"Most workplaces wouldn’t tolerate recording computer information with a cellphone, so the Meta Glasses wouldn’t be any different." ~ Odd-Repeat6595

"NTA. Are you in a two-party recording consent state?"

"I would definitely talk to your HR department because this seems like it could violate your rights." ~ Oh_Hae

"I think the HR route is the way to go."

"Does the company want its employees potentially recording day-to-day internal operations, sensitive documents, conversations, etc?"

"Make HR do the dirty work for you!" ~ hatjerkatwork

"NTA, I would also be extremely uncomfortable talking to someone with meta glasses; you have no idea if they're recording or not." ~ Marz_Bar169

"NTA. Never mind that this is creepy; it's an information security nightmare."

"She could be recording confidential client information, financial data, anything."

"Talk to your manager and follow up with an email confirming your discussion." ~ TheSecretIsMarmite

"It's not an unreasonable ask, but don't do it yourself."

"You will become the target of their annoyance."

"Tell management."

"Request it's anonymous."

"Maybe even hr if you work at a place with a decent department."

"Make it into a work thing rather than a you thing."

"I had a colleague speeding whilst I was the passenger."

"I don't mean a couple of miles, I mean INSTANT death upon collision level speeds with other vehicles and pedestrians everywhere."

"I told management, who told HR, who sent out an email saying speeding in company vehicles leads to immediate dismissal."

"I went from being the snitch to just another employee copied into this email and didn't face any backlash." ~ viberson

"NTA. Not unreasonable or petty."

"But poorly planned."

"Talk to your boss or to HR."

"There should be an office policy on this."

"You should not be handling it all alone." ~ DotBeech

"I wouldn't ask her to take them off."

"But I'd have a talk with your manager about this. "

"I get that personal privacy is a valid concern -- and you absolutely have a right to it."

"But the company may not care."

"What will they care about?"

"If your colleague is surreptitiously recording office conversation, that may be a problem."

"No one wants a company's latest branding strategy, expansion plans, etc., aired on YouTube. NTA." ~ Active-Anteater1884

"NTA, I don't think it's unreasonable at all to want to be sure you're not being recorded by a coworker."

"However, this brings up the question of the legality of her wearing them in a workspace."

"Is she privy to private information?"

"I'm a teacher; I can't imagine it would be legal for me to wear those, as I'm constantly looking at private information about my students and their guardians, not to mention the students themselves." ~ brandiedplum

"NTA, but definitely speak to HR instead of her."

"Not only is it a potential breach of your privacy, but it could be a potential breach of company privacy."

"She could be recording anything, and you wouldn’t know." ~ whatswrongwithfolks

"NTA. Complain to HR that she may be recording company business without their permission, or your own personally identifiable information without your permission."

"Tell them you feel it's making your workplace hostile to your own privacy because a hostile workplace doesn't just mean a sexually charged one."

"The first person to talk to HR is the person who gets to win because HR's only goal is to keep the human resources as resourceful and inhuman as possible."

"If people can get HR to change the policy because they don't like the smell of fish in the shared refrigerator, and you can absolutely get HR to forbid those glasses, and for a far better cause."

"And it's especially useful if you can catch her talking to her glasses."

"Don't record her doing it, but start keeping a little log of time so you've noticed her using or wearing her glasses while she's having conversations with nobody or having a conversation that involves any sort of company-sensitive information."

"Again, you don't need the log yet."

"You need to start keeping the log once you make the complaint, for sure, just so that the secondary things can be documented with a specific date and time."

"You don't have to know she's recording or not recording, you have to feel uncomfortable with the possibility that she was recording because she was wearing the glasses while talking to you, or being in your space, or hanging in the break room while you were there, or wearing them into the restroom if you happen to be the same gender, appropriate alignments to share a restroom." ~ BitOBear

"NTA. I think it’s a conversation you need to have, and something your company needs a policy on. In my job, I work with lots of personal details and sometimes very sensitive information."

"If I were to record any of it outside of work’s system?"

"That’s a sackable offense."

"Someone below mentioned that there should be an indicator light to show when a photo is being taken or a recording is being made."

"But that’s not exactly hard to paint over, is it?"

"Paranoid, perhaps."

"But there is genuine risk there, and your company has a vested interest in managing it, even on the assumption your colleague isn’t a wrong’un here." ~ Whole-Lychee1628

"What do you do for work?"

"Personally id talk to HR or your direct manager, as that could be a breach."

"My husband and I have the sunglasses."

"He uses them for his lawn care business."

"I rarely remember to actually record with mine."

"I actually almost got the blue light ones for work until I remembered I work for a tax company where I see everyone's details."

"Although I would NEVER jeopardize my job like that, my boss would immediately notice and have me remove them."

"Also, there are people who offer services to remove the light that tells others they're recording."

"You dont know if your coworker has had that done to her. NTA." ~ Final-Sky-2757

"NTA. Check your company policies."

"If there's a ban on recording or taking pictures, the smart glasses may be included." ~ vaminion

"NTA, this is an HR conversation."

"There are privacy concerns for everyone, including the company."

"This is such a new concept; most companies don’t have policies in place yet." ~ angrygnomes58

Reddit is with you, OP.

It sounds like an HR situation.

Other people must be feeling the same way you do.

You have every right to speak up about how you're feeling.

Good Luck.