// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
'People call them pervert glasses': Blind users fear backlash over smart tech
Fraser Fleming says his glasses help him navigate public transport and read street signs
Fraser Fleming approaches the corner of a busy Glasgow city centre street and asks his smart glasses to describe the road ahead.
A voice coming from tiny speakers in the arms of the specs tells him there are several parked cars and a person walking in his direction.
For 44-year-old Fraser, who is registered blind, this is "game changing" information.
"I know how to approach the street and what sort of care to take," he says.
"If I need to maybe take my time or if I can just walk at normal pace."
Fraser, who began losing his sight in his early twenties, says his AI-powered Meta smart glasses have become part of his everyday life during the past two years.
They help him to navigate public transport, read street signs and order from menus – but he's started to think twice about wearing them in public.
"People are calling them pervert glasses," he says, referring to multiple reports of them being used to secretly film and harass people, particularly women and girls, with the footage being shared online.
Fraser says this is having a negative effect on anyone wearing them, including visually-impaired people.