California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Senate Bill 1130, a measure that would have made it illegal to secretly record people using wearable devices such as smart glasses. In a letter to lawmakers, Newsom said the bill defined wearable recording devices "too broadly or imprecisely," which could lead to confusion and unintended consequences. He also noted that the proposal duplicated protections already in state law.
Had the bill become law, California would have been the first state to regulate smart glasses. Violators could have faced fines or prison time, and device makers that failed to comply would have been fined. The bill's author, state senator Eloise Gómez Reyes, said the goal was to help California respond to the rapid rollout of always-listening technology.
The veto lands amid growing attention to camera- and microphone-equipped wearables. Meta sold more than seven million wearable glasses last year, and Apple recently added an always-listening feature to the Apple Watch that can replay and summarize conversations. Critics have dubbed such devices "pervert glasses" after reports of people using them to record and harass others.