A petition demanding a complete sales ban on smart glasses has been launched in Britain as secretly filmed footage of women and girls appearing online intensifies a European privacy backlash against wearable AI technology.
Sales of the spectacles have climbed into the millions, fueled by advanced artificial intelligence capabilities that allow users to take photos, record video, make phone calls, translate text, and listen to music. The devices gained significant mainstream attention over the summer following a marketing partnership between beauty mogul Kylie Jenner and tech giant Meta, which developed its smart spectacles in collaboration with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica. Meta reported selling some seven million pairs in 2025, a sharp increase from a combined total of two million across 2023 and 2024, while other major tech firms including Google and Snap prepare to introduce competing hardware.
Regulatory Scrutiny and Bans Across Europe
The rapid adoption has triggered swift institutional pushback across Europe. In Norway, the capital city of Oslo banned smart glasses in schools while the national government evaluates broader regulations and considers prohibiting facial recognition features in public spaces. Meanwhile, France’s CNIL data protection watchdog has urged heightened public vigilance. British media coverage intensified following reports that Meta is developing a facial recognition feature to integrate into the spectacles. In August, a 17-year-old girl told British broadcaster Channel 4 News that a man had approached and covertly recorded her during an interaction. A “Stop Smart Glasses” campaign has since been initiated in Britain and Ireland alongside the parliamentary petition.
At the European Union level, Slovak lawmaker Veronika Cifrova Ostrihonova questioned the European Commission regarding whether the devices comply with existing data protection and artificial intelligence regulations. Responding to AFP, Cifrova Ostrihonova stated she was still awaiting an answer and emphasized the need for strict rules and enforcement to safeguard fundamental rights. The European Commission stated that national data protection authorities remain responsible for monitoring and enforcing privacy laws. However, the independent European Data Protection Board has commissioned a report examining the social acceptability of smart glasses, which is expected to guide the European Parliament. European lawmaker Alex Agius Saliba noted that concerns span across the political spectrum, asserting that the hardware should face a ban until safety is conclusively proven.
Activism and Corporate Response
Grassroots opposition has also materialized online and in public venues. Swedish designer Mateusz Pozar launched the “Ban Ray” website to distribute informational warning signs and stickers for venue owners wanting to bar the glasses. Pozar created the platform after his girlfriend was recorded by two men wearing the devices in public. He raised additional concerns regarding data extraction following reports that Kenya-based workers reviewed graphic content captured by Meta’s AI glasses.
In response to mounting criticisms regarding covert surveillance, Meta stated that it has implemented multiple safeguards to prevent tampering with the blinking LED light designed to signal when the device is actively recording. According to the company, these investments have had a deterrent effect, causing companies offering LED-disabling modifications to shut down.
