Secret Recording with Smart Glasses Leads to Arrest, Minister Highlights Privacy Law Violations

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - A case involving a woman who was secretly recorded using smart glasses at the GIIAS 2026 automotive exhibition has caused a stir online. Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid emphasised that recording a person without permission is a violation of the Personal Data Protection Law. She added that the incident also constitutes a breach of ethics. The government, through the ministry, will take measured steps to resolve the issue. Incidents involving smart glasses used to record people without consent are not unique to Indonesia. A similar case recently occurred in Scotland, where a man named Scott Margerison was reported to the police. Margerison, who used Meta smart glasses, was active on social media, including TikTok under the alias E Dobbin. His content featured him approaching strangers and initiating bizarre conversations. The incident took place while he was travelling around Scotland. One video captured a conversation with a British-born shopkeeper of Indian descent. Margerison spoke about forced diversity in Europe and referenced the Kalergi Plan, a conspiracy theory about eliminating the white race through intermarriage. The female shopkeeper politely responded that his remarks were degrading. However, after they parted, Margerison was recorded calling her arrogant and ignorant. According to the woman, Margerison’s video edited out her question about what he was doing in her shop. The woman, who has lived in Skye for 20 years, said she cried upon learning the conversation was secretly recorded and posted on TikTok. ‘You feel very small seeing a video like this,’ she was quoted as saying by the BBC. Another video showed Margerison on a tour of a ferry, the MV Loch Seaforth. He was caught secretly recording during the tour, which was subsequently halted. Photography and filming are now banned on the tour. He was also reported to have made sexually suggestive and rude comments to several other people in his uploaded videos. Police Scotland confirmed receiving complaints about Margerison and are reviewing the footage to determine if any criminality was involved. The emergence of smart glasses is considered a technological breakthrough, but it also raises concerns about the potential for recording, analysing, and storing information without consent, as well as broader privacy issues.