OAIC opens investigation into maker of HeyCyan smart glasses phone app
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has commenced an investigation into the privacy practices of Shenzhen Qingcheng Future Technology Co. Ltd, the maker of the ‘HeyCyan’ Smart Glasses phone application.
The OAIC said HeyCyan is the software used in the Anko smart glasses sold by Kmart, as well as in low-cost products for sale on Big W Marketplace and Amazon.
The regulator said it has been monitoring the roll out of smart glasses since early 2026 and, in August 2026, received correspondence from the Attorney-General requesting the Privacy Commissioner examine the privacy implications of smart glasses devices.
From 12 August 2026, the OAIC issued preliminary inquiries to various manufacturers and distributors of smart glasses, including Meta, Kmart, Google and Shenzhen Qingcheng. The OAIC said it asked the entities for clarification on how the smart glasses work including how they record information, who has access to recorded information, and where the recorded information is stored.
The OAIC said the Privacy Commissioner published a blog on 7 October 2026 summarising the outcomes of the preliminary inquiries. According to the OAIC, it did not receive a response from Shenzhen Qingcheng, which is based in China, in relation to the preliminary inquiries.
“In the absence of any response from Shenzhen Qingcheng to the OAIC’s preliminary inquiries, I have no assurance that it is protecting personal data of Australians as required by the Privacy Act,” said Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind.
“The failure of Shenzhen Qingcheng to respond to the OAIC’s inquiries raises concerns about the entity’s practices, procedures and systems to protect the personal information it holds, as required by APP 1.
“In those circumstances I considered it was important to commence an investigation so that I could utilise my full range of powers to examine this issue, including issuing compulsory information gathering notices.”
The OAIC said that, in addition to opening an investigation into Shenzhen Qingcheng, the Privacy Commissioner has written to retailers of devices using the HeyCyan app to express concerns.
“The Australian community has expressed its concern about the proliferation of smart glasses and other surveillance wearables. Given the particular risks the OAIC has identified with the HeyCyan app, I would urge responsible retailers to consider whether it is appropriate to continue making these devices available,” Commissioner Kind said.
The OAIC said it will await the conclusion of the investigation before commenting further.
In background information, the OAIC said the HeyCyan application is required to use the full functionality of numerous lower-cost smart glasses models manufactured in China and distributed under various brand names. It said users of these smart glasses must connect their smartphone to the HeyCyan application to enable features including listening to music, answering calls and using HeyCyan’s voice assistant.
The OAIC said that using this feature involves information gathered by the glasses being collected via the HeyCyan app for processing.
The regulator said it has a range of options if it is satisfied an interference with privacy has occurred, including making a determination that can include declarations requiring an entity to take steps to ensure the act or practice is not repeated or continued and to redress any loss or damage. It said that if an investigation finds serious or repeated interferences with privacy, the Commissioner can seek civil penalties from the Federal Court of Australia.
The OAIC noted the Commissioner is authorised to investigate an act or practice that may be an interference with the privacy of an individual or a breach of Australian Privacy Principle 1 under section 40(2) of the Privacy Act 1988.
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