Everything is spying on you and there’s no opting out

A new wave of consumer devices with AI capabilities can continuously listen to and record everything around them, including people who have not consented to being recorded. Companies making these devices argue they include privacy safeguards such as warning lights or chime sounds to alert nearby people that recording is happening, along with technical features like rolling buffers that only capture limited portions of speech. Critics contend that these supposed safeguards actually shift the burden of privacy protection away from companies and onto individual consumers and bystanders, and that the popularity of these devices risks normalizing constant surveillance in public spaces. The devices range from smartwatches with always-on listening features to smart glasses with cameras to AI-enabled pendants, reflecting a broader industry trend toward ambient surveillance technology.