CalMac has moved to tighten security on its ferries after a far-right influencer was caught secretly recording crew members and passengers using Meta smart glasses.
The ferry operator confirmed it has temporarily banned all unscheduled visits to the bridge of its vessels following the incident, which sparked serious concern among staff and the wider public.
The man used Meta glasses, which can record video without any obvious indication to those being filmed, to capture footage of people on board without their knowledge or consent. The footage was believed to have been shared online, raising immediate privacy concerns.
CalMac moved quickly once the incident came to light. The temporary ban on unannounced bridge visits is designed to protect both crew and passengers while the company works out a more permanent response to the growing threat posed by wearable recording technology.
The incident has shone a spotlight on just how difficult it is becoming to police covert recording in public and semi-public spaces. Meta glasses and similar wearable devices look almost identical to ordinary eyewear, making it near impossible for people to know they are being filmed.
For CalMac, a company that operates vital ferry links to some of Scotland’s most remote island communities, the breach of trust is being taken seriously. Staff working on these routes often deal with the same passengers regularly and the idea that someone could board a vessel and secretly record them without consequence has understandably caused anger.
Unions and passenger groups have called on CalMac to go further and introduce clearer policies around recording on its ferries more broadly. There are also questions being asked about what legal protections exist for people filmed in this way and whether current laws are equipped to deal with the rapid rise of wearable camera technology.
CalMac said it is reviewing its procedures and is committed to ensuring the safety and privacy of everyone who travels on or works for its network. The company has not yet confirmed how long the temporary measures will remain in place or exactly what a longer term policy might look like.
The Scottish ferry network has faced plenty of scrutiny in recent years over vessel reliability and service disruptions, but this latest issue is of a very different nature. It raises broader questions about how transport operators across Scotland and the rest of the UK should be adapting their rules to keep pace with technology that simply did not exist when most of their current policies were written.
For now, anyone hoping to get an unplanned look at the bridge of a CalMac ferry will be turned away until further notice.