Meta camera glasses should be banned for privacy reasons, says Dutch consumer group

The Dutch Consumers Association is pushing for a ban on the Ray-Ban camera glasses made by Meta. The glasses can be used to secretly film people and therefore are a “danger to privacy,” the association said. They added that this type of ban should be applied throughout Europe.

The AI glasses were designed to look like regular glasses, but they have built-in functions that ensure that users can take photos or videos hands-free; they can also call or listen to music with the glasses. A light flickers at the front of the glasses when a recording is made.

One issue with this is that there is an option to buy special stickers that block the light from visibility, according to the Consumers Association. It also claims that videos can still be made with the sticker over the light, despite claims from Meta that the camera does not work if the light has been tampered with. The association also feels that the light is not sufficiently visible in many cases, like in the sun or at a distance.

“Extra concerning is that all photos or videos taken with the glasses go straight to Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook,” the association’s director Sandra Molenaar said. “A company that we have criticized for years for its many privacy violations.”

Poppodium TivoliVredenburg announced a ban on the glasses last year, the NOS reported at the time. This ban followed an incident in Rotterdam, in which a man secretly filmed a woman in the bathroom during a festival. The concern regarding the glasses is also rising in other European countries.

Meta has said that new updates will cause the glasses to stop filming if the light has been blocked. A spokesperson said that any photos or videos taken are privately stored on the device, unless people choose to share them.