Norway is looking to foster a discussion around the use of AI-enabled glasses in public spaces, as privacy concerns prompted the country's government to propose a temporary ban in certain areas.

The measure is a high priority for the Norwegian government, although there is no specific timeline to implement it, the country's minister of digitalization and public governance, Torgeir Micaelsen, said in an interview on WSJ's What's News podcast. The move aims to encourage a public debate on longer-term regulation, he said.

"This is not a total ban on the use of AI glasses. It is a temporary ban in certain locations," Micaelsen said.

Oslo intends to temporarily prohibit the use of glasses with AI features in areas where people could be photographed, filmed, or recorded without their knowledge. These places include swimming pools, gyms, schools, hospitals and other places where privacy is extremely important, Micaelsen said.

"You can record someone with your phone. But with wearables, you never know if you're being recorded or if they're being used for other purposes," he said. "People don't exercise their right to be themselves in public spaces because they're afraid of what these new devices can do."

Facebook owner Meta sells Ray-Ban and Oakley smartglasses in partnership with European eyewear group EssilorLuxottica. The wearables allow users to film, take photos, make phone calls and play music. And other companies are looking to enter the market--Google parent Alphabet has teamed up with Gucci owner Kering, Samsung Electronics, and Warby Parker for its push into the category.

Every pair of glasses with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when the user takes a photo or video and it can't be turned off, a spokesperson for Meta said. The camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it, a feature that smartphones and other cameras don't have, the spokesperson added.

Meta and EssilorLuxottica sold 7 million pairs of smartglasses last year and are working on new features to stay ahead of competitors. But the growing adoption of the audio- and video-recording devices, as well as some of the features being tested, has raised worries among privacy advocates.

"We are working to ensure consumers understand how to use AI glasses respectfully and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations," a spokesperson for EssilorLuxottica said. "We welcome the broad conversation about their responsible use and are committed to helping shape appropriate standards and foster responsible adoption through thoughtful design, built-in privacy safeguards, and features intended to help users and those around them feel comfortable."

The implementation of the ban on smartglasses in Norway could be complicated, as there are other European regulations that come into play, the minister said. Norway isn't part of the European Union, but has to follow the bloc's rules as a member of the European Economic Area.

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, contains the so-called household exemption, which means that most private use of personal data falls outside the scope of some regulations.

Norway is working on a broad set of tech regulations, and also plans to propose an age limit on social media, Micaelsen said. In countries including Australia, France, and Spain, measures to prevent younger teenagers from accessing apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are being debated or implemented.

"We must avoid making the same mistakes that we did 15 or 20 years ago with social media. At that time we didn't fully understand what we were unleashing on society," he said. "The politics didn't quite follow the technological advances."