Meta and Ray-Ban face legal action over smart glasses privacy

The human rights organization HateAid has filed criminal complaints against Meta, Ray-Ban, Oakley, and several German retailers, including Fielmann, Apollo-Optik, Mister Spex, and MediaMarkt. The legal action, filed with the Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) in Frankfurt, alleges that Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses violate German data protection laws by concealing a camera within ordinary-looking sunglasses.

According to the complaint, the devices allow users to capture 3K resolution photos and videos of up to three minutes using integrated microphones and cameras. While the glasses feature a small white LED to signal recording, HateAid argues this is insufficient as the light is easily overlooked and instructions exist online to bypass or cover the signal. The organization is seeking to have the devices removed from retail shelves, citing violations of Paragraph 8 of the TDDDG, which prohibits the marketing of disguised recording devices.

In contrast, the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) currently sees no grounds for a sales ban, provided the recording LED remains visible.