Privacy fears over Ray-Ban smart glasses

Smart glasses made by Meta and Ray-Ban are facing growing criticism in Europe after reports of people allegedly using them to secretly record women and girls.

The glasses launched in their current generation in 2025, include cameras video recording and artificial intelligence features.  Their possible misuse has raised concerns about privacy consent and hidden surveillance.

Thousands of people in the UK and Ireland have already signed a petition calling for restrictions on the devices.

Calls for restrictions grow

Concerns have increased following reports that women and girls were allegedly recorded without their knowledge.  In one reported case a 17 year old girl told a news channel that a man allegedly recorded her secretly while talking to her using smart glasses.

The incidents have led to calls in the UK and other European countries for stronger rules around the sale and use of camera equipped smart glasses.

Norway bans smart glasses in schools

Norwegian authorities have responded to concerns by banning smart glasses in schools.  The government is also considering wider restrictions related to facial recognition technology.

Unlike ordinary glasses smart glasses can include cameras microphones and AI powered features.  This has created new questions about whether people nearby can be recorded without their permission.

Petition gains thousands of signatures

A campaign called “Stop Smart Glasses” has attracted more than 9,100 signatures in the UK and Ireland. The petition highlights concerns about surveillance secret recordings and the recording of people without their consent.

Smart glasses are becoming more popular

Meta developed its Ray-Ban smart glasses in partnership with eyewear company EssilorLuxottica. The glasses allow users to take photos record videos and interact with an AI assistant.

Their growing popularity has also increased concerns about how the technology could be misused.

Reports say Meta sold around 7 million pairs of the smart glasses in 2025, compared with about 2 million pairs combined during 2023 and 2024.

Other technology companies including Google and Snap are also working on  AI-powered wearable devices suggesting that smart glasses could become more common in the coming years.

Facial recognition raises more concerns

Privacy concerns are not limited to hidden video recording. Reports have also discussed the possibility of facial recognition features being developed for

Meta’s smart glasses.

Such technology could create further concerns about personal information biometric data and privacy.

European lawmaker Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová has reportedly asked the European Commission for clarification on whether smart glasses comply with European data protection rules.

Meanwhile the European data protection board is preparing a report on the social acceptance of smart glasses.  The report could help guide possible future action by European authorities.

‘Ban Ray’ campaign begins

Public campaigns against smart glasses have also started appearing.

Swedish designer Matyush Pozhar launched a campaign called “Ban Ray” after an incident involving his girlfriend.

The campaign uses signs and stickers to raise awareness about privacy and personal data concerns linked to smart glasses.

Meta responds

Meta says it has taken steps to prevent people from tampering with the recording indicator light on its smart glasses.

The company said these measures are aimed at stopping third parties from offering services that disable the light used to show when the glasses are recording. As AI powered smart glasses become more popular concerns over secret recording consent facial recognition and personal data are also growing.

The debate in Europe shows that as wearable technology develops quickly governments may face increasing pressure to introduce clear rules to protect people’s privacy.