<p>The number of surveilling and recording devices increases steadily, contributing to raising concerns on individuals’ privacy. Previous research has addressed this issue by investigating end-users’ reactions to various types of video equipment, mainly with surveys and interviews. However, less is known regarding the impact of such technology on bystanders’ affective state and actual behavior. In the present explorative study, we investigated the effect of different video-surveilling conditions (i.e., traditional camera, smart glasses, drone, human observer, and no observer) on participants’ performance and anxiety levels. To this end, a controlled between-participant laboratory experiment was run. We collected both objective metrics, namely, the performance in a memory task, and self-reported data, i.e., the level of state anxiety. Our results showed that in all of the groups in which a surveilling technology was present, i.e., a traditional camera, a drone, and smart glasses, the levels of state anxiety increased. However, no effect emerged on the participants’ performance in any group. The present paper contributes by showing that besides raising privacy concerns, monitoring technology induces an increase in the level of state anxiety. Nevertheless, participants’ performance was not affected by the surveillance taking place, endorsing the view that individuals are becoming increasingly accustomed to it.</p>