California governor vetoes bill banning 'pervert glasses' recording

California Governor Gavin Newsom has used his veto authority to send a bill passed by the state’s legislature back to lawmakers, declining to sign California Senate Bill 1130, which would have made it unlawful to secretly record people using wearable recording devices such as smart glasses. In a letter to lawmakers on Wednesday, Newsom said he opposed the measure because it defines wearable recording devices “too broadly or imprecisely,” warning that this could lead to confusion and unintended consequences. He also said the bill duplicates protections that already exist under California law.

Had SB 1130 passed, it would have made California the first state to regulate the use of smart glasses, at a time when countries including Norway are looking at a potential ban on the technology. Violators could have faced fines or prison time, and wearable makers that failed to comply with the rules would have also faced fines.

The bill sought to stop people from being recorded in public places without their explicit consent, amid a rising number of wearable products containing cameras and microphones that always listen and record everything nearby — including internet-connected glasses made by Meta and Snap. Meta alone sold more than 7 million wearable glasses last year. Several other hardware wearables, such as AI-powered pendants, have also launched into the market, drawing mixed reactions.

California state senator Eloise Gómez Reyes, the bill’s author, was quoted by ABC News as saying the bill aimed to help California respond to the rapid rollout of always-listening tech. Critics and consumers alike have dubbed the controversial wearables “pervert glasses” following multiple reports of people using them to record and harass others.

The veto lands as more consumer wearables add listening and recording capabilities: Apple announced last month that its latest Apple Watch software will include an always-listening feature that allows wearers to replay a transcript of the past 15 seconds, and also to recap and summarize conversations from the day.

Why it matters

Newsom’s veto leaves California without specific rules governing covert recording via wearable devices, even as adoption of camera-equipped glasses and AI wearables accelerates. Device makers like Meta and Snap face no new state-level restrictions for now, and the broader debate over privacy safeguards for always-on hardware remains unresolved.