Man Arrested for secretly Filming Women โคatโฃ Rotterdam Festival
Rotterdam,Netherlands – A man was apprehended at Festival Rotterdam on Saturday after security personnel discovered he โwas using camera-equipped glasses to secretly film women,including in restroom areas. Rendel van den Heuvel, โคowner of โคthe Special Security Group, and hisโ teamโฃ were alerted by several โfestival attendees who reported a man acting suspiciously near the women’s toilets and focusing on attendees wearing revealing clothing.
Following a search, security discovered the man wasโ in possession of Ray-Ban โMeta Glasses -โ a device currently available in neighboring countries butโ not โคyetโ officially on โฃsale in the Netherlands. while the initial search revealed drugs, closer inspection of โคthe โglasses raised concerns.
“The man was reluctant to remove the glasses, but we insisted,” explained Van den Heuvel. “Upon reviewing his phone,โ we foundโฃ multiple videosโ confirming he was filming women at the festival. Disturbingly, one image showed him filming under a skirt.” The illicit footage was instantly deleted.
The Ray-Ban Metaโ Glasses feature a button that allows the user to take photos with a single press, โฃand record video with a longer press. They alsoโ include speakers for music, calls, and AI assistance. Techโ journalist Bastiaan Vroegop,who owns a pair โof the glasses,notes they are often used for capturing candid moments. “It’s easier to get natural photos of โฃchildren without them posing,” he said.
However, Vroegop acknowledgesโ the potential for misuse.While the glassesโค illuminate a white light during recording, he points out โฃthat this indicatorโฃ is often difficultโ to notice in luminous โdaylight โขor from a distance. Van den Heuvel confirmed he did not observeโ the light during the incident.
The man’s details have been passed on to the police,โ who are investigating โขhis motives. โขhe has not yet made any statements regarding the incident.
Vanโข den Heuvel is urging women to be vigilant. “If you see someone โwearing these glasses, report it to security immediately,” he warned.He also advised other security personnel โขto be โextra alert for theโ devices.
Vroegop believes this incident highlights a growing concern โคwith emerging technology. โ”Companies are constantly โฃpushing the โคboundaries with new products, andโ we are onโ the cusp of even more advanced glassesโ technology, with Google also developing a similar device. This will inevitably lead to further frictionโ and potential for misuse.” He also noted the existenceโค of even smaller cameras readily available, stating that โsomeone intent on surreptitious recording hasโข numerous options.