Consumer Association warns: Meta camera glasses pose privacy risk

According to the Dutch Consumers’ Association, Meta’s Ray-Ban camera glasses pose a great privacy risk.. Research by the organisation shows that users can relatively easily use the camera without people nearby realising they are being recorded. The Consumers’ Association is therefore calling for a European ban on the glasses in their current form.

The smart glasses by Meta and Ray-Ban look like an ordinary pair of glasses, but offer a range of advanced features. Users can make phone calls, listen to music and record videos. The built-in cameras also allow users to take photos and videos hands-free. When the camera is in use, a light on the front of the glasses illuminates or flashes to indicate that a recording is being made.

Insufficient protection

However, the Consumers’Association notes that the indicator light does not provide sufficient protection against covert recordings. Stickers to cover the light are available to buy. Meta states that the camera should stop functioning if the system detects tampering with the indicator light. However, according to its own research, the Consumers’ Association was still able to record videos after covering the light with a sticker, despite Meta’s latest privacy updates, which were implemented on 2 September.

The indicator light is not always clearly visible even when it is not covered, the organisation says. Particularly in bright sunlight or when the wearer is some distance away, it can be difficult for bystanders to tell that they are being recorded. According to the Consumers’ Association, this is particularly concerning because the camera is capable of capturing usable, high-quality images from a distance.

Data sent to Meta

The privacy concerns go beyond the risk of covert recording. “It is particularly concerning that all videos and photos taken with the glasses are sent to Meta, a company we have been criticising for years over numerous privacy violations,” says Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumers’ Association. According to Molenaar, it is not sufficiently clear what Meta subsequently does with the information and data it collects.

European ban

Worries about camera glasses are not new. In other European countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom, concerns are also growing about the privacy risks posed by glasses with built-in cameras. In England and Wales, for example, the glasses are not permitted inside court buildings. The Consumers’ Association is urging the European Commission to introduce strict measures to restrict the sale of the glasses in their current form.