TikToker faces police probe over secret filming using 'smart glasses'

In late June and early July he toured Scotland in a white Ford Transit van, visiting various locations including Dunoon, Glencoe, John O'Groats, Skye, Uist, Barra and Lewis. While many of his videos feature harmless banter, others have a darker side, particularly when he encounters young women or people from ethnic minorities.In one video, the 42-year-old makes sexualised comments about the appearance of two teenagers who he spots as he drives onto a small CalMac ferry. He then puts on his Meta glasses, which contain tiny cameras, gets out of his van and engages the girls and their parents in conversation, apparently without their knowledge of being filmed. In the same video he uses a strong expletive in an unprovoked outburst directed at a fellow ferry passenger. One of the most disturbing incidents occurs on Skye where he tells a UK-born Sikh shopkeeper of Indian heritage that there is "forced" diversity in Europe. He goes on to refer to the Kalergi Plan - a far right conspiracy theory about a plot to "breed out the white race".The woman, who was running the shop with help from her teenage daughter, politely suggests his comments are "slightly derogatory". When he leaves, Margerison angrily describes her in his video commentary as "condescending" and complains that "they don't understand".The woman, who was born in London and has lived in Skye for 20 years, told BBC Scotland News he initiated the conversation by asking "what are you doing here?" but edited this out of the published footage. She said her encounter with Margerison, who is heavily built and well over 6ft tall, was "100% intimidating" and that she cried when she was later told by a friend that a secretly-filmed video had been published on TikTok. "You're made to feel very small when you see a video like this," she said. "And it's sad because everyone in the local community is really nice. This was really upsetting."While in the Hebrides, Margerison also filmed an angry encounter with an elderly couple in a supermarket after they complained that he had "loudly and rudely" asked them to move out of his way.He follows them around the store, at one point blocking their path, swears in front of them, accuses them of being "mental".He also tells them he intends to post footage of them on TikTok which he says is "well within my rights".Image gallerySkip image galleryImage source, YoutubeImage caption, Margerison filmed staff on the bridge of a CalMac ferry, which he had been allowed to visit as a courtesySlide 1 of 3, The bridge of a ferry including a member of staff who is being filmed from behind., Margerison filmed staff on the bridge of a CalMac ferry, which he had been allowed to visit as a courtesyBBC News has reported on cases where young women were approached and secretly recorded by men who then posted videos online and demanded money to remove them.Secret recording has also taken place by individuals - including Margerison - at various Comic Con cosplay events, prompting attendees to complain of invasion of privacy, harassment and "body shaming". Last week Monopoly Events, the promoter behind some of the biggest comic and entertainment conventions in the UK, banned Meta glasses from its gatherings.Meta, which owns Instagram, told BBC Scotland News it was "actively investigating" Margerison's accounts and would act on anything that violated its policies.On the smart glasses themselves, a spokesperson said: "People use our glasses because they're genuinely helpful – from listening to music, to live translation or hands-free calls. "For those wearing them and the people around them, trust matters. That's why we built privacy into our AI glasses from the ground up."The head of Instagram Adam Mosseri recently admitted that some users had tried to "drill off" the flashing light, but he claimed the latest updates meant doing so would render the glasses inoperable.Instagram has now shut down all of Margerison's accounts.TikTok said it did not permit content that harasses or bullies others, and said it took action against accounts that violated its policies. , external YouTube said it would investigate Margerison's videos on its platform. Police Scotland is understood to be investigating complaints about both Margerison's secret filming and his behaviour, and anyone who wishes to report an incident should do so using the 101 number or online. , external