Sneaky new way men are picking up women

A Sydney woman has spoken out after a man allegedly filmed their conversation using AI smartglasses, posting the interaction for TikTok clout.

EXCLUSIVE

A Sydney woman has spoken out after discovering she was secretly filmed by a man who she believes was wearing digital recording sunglasses during a brief interaction on her way home from work.

The woman, Sarah*, initially thought little of the encounter.

However, weeks later, a friend sent her a TikTok video revealing that their conversation had allegedly been recorded without her consent and posted online by a man, @calummmm, who attempts to pick up women on the street.

“I was just strolling along, reading the news, but when I looked up, I saw that a man was about to approach me,” she told news.com.au.

“He was trying to lock eyes so I took my earphones out and spoke to him and he shook my hand.”

One of the many women that the man has “chatted up” and filmed. Picture: TikTok

Another woman who the man approached in the street. Picture: TikTok

The wearable camera

Sarah now believes the man was using high-tech smartglasses – possibly Meta’s Ray-Ban AI Glasses – which have two small built-in cameras and a microphone, to discreetly record their interaction.

The $449 glasses, which launched in Australia in late 2024, not only record and livestream video but can also take calls, play music, and send text messages.

To capture a photo or video, users press and hold a button on the frame.

“I now remember that he fiddled with his sunglasses at the start of the chat, but I just thought he was adjusting them,” Sarah said. “Now I realise he was probably starting the recording because there were two dots on either side, but it was very subtle”.

Filming glasses, such as the Meta Ray-Ban AI Glasses, allow users to capture their surroundings with the press of a button. Picture: Ray-Ban

In their conversation, Sarah said she was polite to Calum as he chatted her up and attempted to get her contact details.

“At no point did he mention that he was filming me … I’d never even heard of people doing that,” she explained.

She believes the man might have been participating in the ‘Day Gaming’ trend — a dating technique that involves approaching women during the day to try and get their numbers.

“This must be a new iteration of it and now they’re filming it like it’s some kind of sport,” she said.

In another one of his videos that has over a million views, he tried to pick-up a barista before telling her he loves her moments later and even joking that he was “harassing her” at work.

In the comments, he then offers advice to other hopeful men about dating, saying things like, “it’s all about confidence”.

In yet another one of his viral clips, he gets a woman’s details before telling his followers “mission passed!” which is a phrase used in the video game Grand Theft Auto.

Calum’s TikTok bio alarmingly reads: “If they didn’t have p***ys, we’d throw rocks at ‘em.”

“No concept of reality”

When Sarah’s friend informed her of the video circulating online, her first thought was, “I hope I didn’t say anything bad,” despite knowing that she hadn’t. However, the fact she was filmed without her consent made her doubt herself.

“But I know I was just being nice. I’m always kind to strangers as I don’t want to come across as stand-offish because that’s just not who I am,” she noted.

But many of Calum’s followers didn’t see it that way and accused her of being “too friendly” and “keen”.

“Obviously I’m not,” she retorts.

“They don’t know me from a bar of soap. And I mean, they’re judging my actions … why don’t they judge the guy who’s filming through his sunglasses without telling anyone?

“These men have no actual concept of reality and what it’s like to really chat to a person,” she continued.

“They’re attention seekers who seek validation through any means they know how... and to what end? Views?

“They might think it’s harmless or funny, but it’s just a complete breach of privacy and shows no human decency.”

At the end of the day, the incident isn’t going to stop her from being nice to strangers, but she says she’ll “definitely check what sunglasses they’re wearing”.

The TikToker often gives dating advice in the comments of his clips. Picture: TikTok

The legalities

Sarah believes that the social media landscape is evolving rapidly, but our laws aren’t keeping pace.

“There are so many new random 21st-century behaviours that we would never have considered possible or reasonable 10 years ago,” she said, “but they exist and our legislation doesn’t support that”.

Recording a conversation without all parties’ consent in NSW can carry a penalty of up to five years imprisonment.

The Surveillance Devices Act states that a person must not publish a private conversation that results, directly or indirectly, from an optical surveillance device.

However, conversations in public may not be considered “private conversations” as it may be reasonable “to expect that it might be overheard by someone else”.

US TikToker banned for filming women

That said, just a month ago, a US TikToker was permanently banned from the app after secretly recording Aussie women for his millions of followers and being reported to NSW police.

Sayed or @itspolokid gained 1.2 million followers on Instagram and one million followers on TikTok from his videos approaching women often in bikinis at the beach, complimenting them and asking for their numbers.

The police told news.com.au that they had commenced an investigation into his actions, and TikTok revealed they had “permanently banned this account for violating our strict community guidelines”. No charges have been laid.

A US TikToker was banned from the platform last month for filming women using his sunglasses. Picture: TikTok

Concerns raised over smartglasses

Privacy regulators in Europe have previously expressed concerns about the Meta smartglasses, which were first launched in 2021, arguing that the small LED light that activates when the glasses are recording is inadequate for letting others know that they are being recorded.

As a company that earns nearly all its revenue from advertising, there are also worries about how images captured with the glasses are used by the company.

Concerns have been raised around the ethics of using smartglasses. Picture: Meta

Meta has stated that photos and information collected by the glasses “will be collected, used, and retained in accordance with Meta’s Privacy Policy”.

The company has released a set of best practices designed to encourage users to respect the rights of others while wearing the glasses and turn them off in sensitive spaces like public toilets.

The guidelines also suggest formally announcing your intention to use the camera or livestream.

Calum and Meta have been contacted for comment.

*Name has been changed for privacy.