Swimming pools and saunas in German-speaking Switzerland want glasses with built-in cameras kept out of their premises. Three industry associations warned on Monday that the devices threaten the privacy of bathers and called on towns and municipalities to change their pool rules accordingly.
The statement responds to the growing use of eyewear fitted with cameras, which has prompted political debate in several Swiss cities.
The warning came jointly from the Swiss association of swimming instructors, the association of swimming pools and the Swiss sauna federation. They are reacting to the spread of eyewear that can take photos and record video. In their statement, the groups said such glasses are “difficult to distinguish from ordinary eyewear”, which makes it possible to film people without their knowledge or consent. Privacy in pools and changing rooms, they said, is under threat. Because the glasses look like any other pair, staff and other visitors may not notice when someone is recording.
Under the associations’ approach, wearing any optical device with a recording function will be banned throughout pool facilities. To help staff enforce the rule, they have produced a guide for employees and an information poster aimed at swimmers. The decision on binding rules, however, rests with the local authorities that run most public pools, which is why the associations are pressing towns to update their regulations.
Pressure on officials has been building for months. In Bern, Zurich and other cities, motions have been filed calling for smart glasses to be banned in municipal pools and sports facilities. The issue was already being debated in August, when Basel, Lucerne and other Swiss cities voiced concern about the devices in public baths. The associations’ statement now gives pool operators a common position to point to while those political discussions continue. French-speaking Switzerland is taking a more cautious line for now. The association of swimming pools in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, known as APRT, told the Keystone-SDA news agency that it has received no specific reports involving smart glasses and is not taking action at this stage. It said its staff have nonetheless been trained and made aware of the issue, even though the phenomenon is still relatively new. Whether that position changes may depend on how quickly the devices become a common sight at Swiss poolsides.
