Australian privacy regulator investigates maker of HeyCyan smart glasses app
The inquiry into Shenzhen Qingcheng follows unanswered questions about how smart glasses record, store and share personal information.
Australia’s privacy regulator announced on 7 October 2026 that it had opened an investigation into Shenzhen Qingcheng Future Technology Co. Ltd, the China-based maker of the HeyCyan phone app used with Kmart’s Anko smart glasses. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) said the company had not answered preliminary questions about how personal information is handled. The inquiry concerns software used across several low-cost smart-glasses products, making its findings relevant beyond one retailer.
HeyCyan is also used with products sold on Big W Marketplace and Amazon, according to the OAIC. The regulator says the app is needed for the full functionality of numerous lower-cost models sold under different brand names. Its announcement opens an investigation into the app maker; it does not establish that the company breached Australian privacy law.
Why the OAIC opened the HeyCyan investigation
The OAIC says it began monitoring the rollout of smart glasses in early 2026. After the Attorney-General asked the Privacy Commissioner in August to examine their privacy implications, the regulator sent preliminary inquiries to five entities involved in smart-glasses hardware or software. Those contacted from 12 August included Meta, Kmart, Google and Shenzhen Qingcheng.
The questions asked how the glasses work and record information, who can access what they record, and where that information is stored. The OAIC says Shenzhen Qingcheng did not reply. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said that, without a response, she had no assurance that the company was protecting Australians’ personal data as required by the Privacy Act.
Kind said the lack of a response raised concerns about the company’s practices, procedures and systems for protecting personal information. Opening a formal investigation lets the OAIC use its full range of powers to examine the issue, including compulsory information-gathering notices. Those powers may help establish how the app handles data; the regulator has not yet reported an answer to its questions or a legal finding.
The commissioner also wrote to retailers of devices using HeyCyan to express her concerns. The OAIC announcement identifies Shenzhen Qingcheng as the subject of the investigation, and The Guardian reported that no other company was being investigated in this process. Contacting a retailer about a product therefore should not be read as a finding about that retailer’s conduct.
Which devices and people are affected
The Guardian reported that Kmart’s $89 Anko glasses can take pictures and record high-definition video. Its report said the glasses had been removed from Kmart’s website by 7 October and that the retailer had been approached for comment. The available report did not include a Kmart response. The OAIC’s description of HeyCyan’s use across other products means questions about the app are relevant to more than Anko buyers.
The Guardian also reported that Kind’s examination took account of third-party analysis of the technology and Shenzhen Qingcheng’s privacy policy. The current accounts do not establish what information the company holds about Australian users, where it stores that information, or how the company will respond to the formal investigation. Those points remain questions for the inquiry, rather than established failures.
Smart glasses and privacy concerns in Australia
The investigation comes amid concern about recording in shared spaces. In a 7 October blog, Kind noted a GetUp petition with more than 55,000 signatures calling for restrictions on certain smart-glasses brands, local-government bans at sensitive venues such as swimming pools, playgrounds and gyms, and a proposal to restrict their use in federal workplaces. These measures and proposals do not amount to a national ban.
Separate University of Sydney research published in August examined 350 publicly available Instagram videos from 2023 to 2026 associated with discreet point-of-view recording in pickup-artist communities. In a subset of covert videos, researchers classified about 60% of interactions as potential harassment; they also found abusive online comments in about 43% of the videos, sometimes including personal details. The figures describe that selected sample, not how often such incidents occur among all smart-glasses users.
Kind told The Guardian that Australia’s Privacy Act applies to companies and Commonwealth agencies, rather than individuals using the devices. She said a retailer or manufacturer may have no obligations under the Act if it does not collect personal information, while a software provider that collects and holds it may. That distinction helps explain why the regulator is examining the HeyCyan app maker while also writing to retailers.
Sources and context
- OAIC opens investigation into maker of HeyCyan smart glasses phone appOffice of the Australian Information Commissioner
- Smart glasses under the microscopeOffice of the Australian Information Commissioner
- Privacy watchdog launches investigation into China-based company behind Kmart ‘pervert glasses’ appThe Guardian
- Smart glasses pose new harassment risks, new research suggestsUniversity of Sydney
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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