☕️ Plan to ban Meta glasses in public service

Have you ever scrolled on your phone on the toilet?

Well, the New York mayor is cracking down on that.

In one of my favourite news stories of the past week, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a 10-minute limit on new public bathrooms being built across the city.

How will the limit be enforced, you ask? Oh, the doors will just automatically open.

"This is not a place to scroll,” Mamdani defiantly declared last week in a press conference.

The quote: “I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.”
Singer Ed Sheeran speaking at his concert over the weekend. It comes after Sheeran’s opening act, Macklemore, was removed from the tour following pro-Palestinian remarks.

The stat: 171. The time it would take to achieve gender equality at the current rate of progress, according to a new report from the UN.

The big question:

Friday’s results: 75% of you think you’re good at spotting scams, 10% don’t, and 14% aren’t sure. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [1,734 votes].

Laptop all day, phone all night means your eyes never clock off.

Specsavers recommends giving them a real break with the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, look at something 20 feet (6 metres) away. Staring into the distance helps reduce the focusing effort on your eyes and can ease eye strain. If dry, tired or blurry eyes are a daily thing, book an eye test at Specsavers.

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

The Federal Government is investigating a ban on smart glasses across public service workplaces.

It comes after widespread privacy concerns over the technology, prompting some local councils to ban them at public facilities.

Smart glasses look like ordinary eyewear but include a camera, microphone, and AI features. They can shoot photos and video, take calls, and translate speech in real time.

Meta and Ray-Ban have collaborated on smart glasses since 2021. The latest version includes an AI assistant.

In June, Meta released a pair of smart glasses designed by Kylie Jenner. A current-gen pair of Ray-Bans will set you back around $700, while the Kylie Jenner version is closer to $650.

Kmart’s $89 version sold out days after its launch.

Experts and advocacy groups raised privacy concerns over the popularity of Kmart’s smart glasses, with Digital Rights Watch calling them a “covert surveillance regime in a wearable disguise”.

In August, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland wrote to Australia’s Privacy Commissioner over “widespread community concerns about the potential impacts of ‘smart glasses’, particularly for women and children.”

Rowland said: “Unlike other forms of technology, smart glasses may be used more discreetly, making it harder to know when you are being recorded.”

In a statement released on Friday, Senator Katy Gallagher said she has asked the Australian Public Service Commission for advice on a potential ban on smart glasses in Government workplaces.

There are more than 215,000 people working for the Australian Public Service (APS), across Government departments including finance, health, education, and defence.

Gallagher said the technology can “raise legitimate privacy and security concerns particularly because of their ability to record and capture information”.

Speaking to the ABC on Friday morning, Liberal Senator and Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam said smart glasses “sound, frankly, creepy.”

He noted that “there may be professions that do require them for various purposes... but if [the Government is] banning them from workplaces like Commonwealth agencies, then I don’t see why you wouldn’t expand that elsewhere”.

At this stage, the Government is only seeking advice on a potential ban. No legislation has been created.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, we talk about how Australia’s weed laws are changing. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

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This week, Canada became an ‘associate member’ of the European Union (EU), a position that did not previously exist and is not yet clearly defined.

Australia and New Zealand could be the next countries to join, with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola saying “we want to deepen our relationship” with them.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between Canada and the U.S. since Donald Trump returned to office last year.

The European Union is a bloc of 27 countries that share a currency (the Euro), trade freely, and have agreements to ensure ease of travel across their borders.

It contains three main organisations: the Council, the Commission, and the elected Parliament, which works with the Commission on legislation for the member states.

Governments are then able to adapt some of this legislation to fit their laws. In 2019, for example, the EU banned some single-use plastics. Member states had to follow the ban but could implement their own recycling programs.

On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered the annual State of the EU address, where she invited Canada to become the EU’s first ‘associate member’.

There is currently no actual role or official associate member status in EU rules or treaties.

Von der Leyen listed areas where Canada will be, or is already, working with the EU, including energy, critical minerals, AI, cyber and economic security, as well as a “tech alliance”and “integrate[d] defence industrial bases”.

In 2027, Canada will make its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest. It will be the first country to join the competition since Australia in 2015.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, while SBS – Australia’s Eurovision broadcasting partner – is an associate member.

“Canada is building strength at home and forging deeper partnerships abroad to create greater resilience. Bound by our shared values of pluralism, the rule of law, and democracy – and strengthened by our complementary capabilities – Canada looks first to our partners in Europe,” Carney said to the European Parliament on Thursday (local time).

In an interview with Euronews on Thursday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said more countries could also become associate members in the future.

Metsola specifically pointed to Australia and New Zealand as countries the European Parliament “want[s] to deepen our relationship [with]”.

In a News24 interview on Friday, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite said the Government will weigh up if any such proposal is “in Australia’s national interest”.

Tensions between Canada and its southern neighbour the U.S. have been high since Trump’s return to office. The U.S. President has repeatedly said he wants to make Canada the 51st state, and both countries have imposed tariffs on each other despite previous free trade agreements.

When asked about the proposed ‘associate membership’ on Wednesday (local time), Trump called Canada a “terrible trade partner”.

“If I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” Trump said.

If the ‘associate member’ status were to become an official, enshrined position, it would need to be unanimously passed by all 27 EU member states.

The EU and Canada signed onto a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in 2017, eliminating most taxes on goods between the country and the Union.

It is unclear if the CETA would continue if an official associate membership was created. Almost a decade later, 10 EU member governments are yet to ratify the CETA.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

Do you know what the average HECS debt in your suburb is?

Almost half of Australia's $67.7 billion HECS-HELP debt sits within our two largest cities, with the national average balance at $28,500. Whether that's news to you or hits close to home, it's a sign to check out TDA Finance - our newsletter breaking down the topics affecting your wallet. Sign up below for clear, credible finance updates, straight to your inbox every Wednesday morning.

Scientists from the university teamed up with UK charity The Queen’s Reading Room to analyse the benefits of reading for enjoyment. Professor Barbara Sahakian said findings suggest “reading is a great way to support our brain health, develop important cognitive skills and boost our wellbeing.” Researchers also pointed to book clubs and reading groups as providing additional benefits through social interaction.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

A swerving van has led police to nearly 67,000 U.S. silver coins worth at least 25 million Norwegian kroner ($AU3.72 million).

Police pulled the van over near Oslo last year and found the absurdly large amount of coins inside, before a second van turned up carrying even more. The coins were allegedly linked to a major U.S. investment fraud, with three Norwegians now sentenced to prison after police had spent years hunting for them.

Don’t swerve, kids (or steal a bunch of coins… that too).

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.