Meta smart glasses face retail bans and privacy scrutiny in Europe

Major retailers in the Netherlands and Belgium, including the eyewear chain Hans Anders and e-commerce site Wehkamp, have suspended the sale of Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. The decision follows intense public and political debate regarding privacy concerns, specifically the potential for covert filming in public spaces.

Dutch privacy regulators and consumer rights groups, such as Consumentenbond, have raised alarms. Consumentenbond has threatened legal action unless Meta modifies the device to comply with privacy laws, noting that users could potentially bypass recording indicators. In Norway, the government is considering a temporary ban on AI-equipped glasses in public areas like parks, shopping centers, and schools to allow for thorough regulatory research.

Meta has defended the product, stating that the glasses feature a bright, non-deactivatable LED light that flashes during recording and that the camera is automatically disabled if the light is tampered with. Meanwhile, Qualcomm has proposed software solutions, such as automatic face-blurring, to help make smart glasses more socially acceptable by protecting the identities of bystanders.