Meta Platforms and its manufacturing partner EssilorLuxottica face increased scrutiny across Europe as sales of AI-enabled smart glasses grow amid privacy backlash, covert recording incidents, and consumer complaints.
EssilorLuxottica Dominates Meta Eyewear Shipments Amid EU Privacy Concerns
- Market Concentration: EssilorLuxottica’s Meta eyewear accounts for 81.3% of global shipments in the first half of the year, driven by a market that expanded to 8.4 million units in 2025 according to Omdia data reported by Reuters.
- Regulatory Friction: The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) urged EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen, EU justice commissioner Michael McGrath, and EDPB Chair Anu Talus to launch urgent investigations into privacy and covert surveillance risks.
- Hardware Safeguards Defeated: While Meta executives defend the devices by pointing to hardwired LED notification lights, multiple reports indicate bad actors have successfully bypassed these warnings by drilling through or covering the indicators.
Regulatory Scrutiny Intensifies Across European Markets
As EssilorLuxottica reports its results, the rapid commercial expansion of wearable AI technology has run into opposition from European regulators and advocacy groups. Reuters reported that global shipments of AI-enabled glasses jumped to 8.4 million units in 2025 from approximately 2.1 million in 2024. Amid this growth, EssilorLuxottica’s Meta eyewear captured 81.3% of global shipments during the first half of the year based on data from Omdia.
That market dominance has triggered institutional pushback. According to MLex, the European Consumer Organisation, BEUC, sent a formal letter on Wednesday urging immediate EU-wide investigations into privacy and covert surveillance risks associated with the devices. The letter called for stronger manufacturer obligations and potential restrictions on deploying smart glasses in specific public zones.
Simultaneously, regional authorities are enacting targeted curbs. Reuters noted that Norway plans a temporary ban on smart glasses in selected locations, while Australia weighed restrictions in government workplaces during September. Authorities in Austria reported investigating incidents where pupils used the eyewear to record inside schools, mirroring complaints logged by France’s data protection watchdog.
| Metric / Indicator | Figure | Reporting Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global AI Glasses Shipments (2024) | 2.1 million units | Omdia / Reuters |
| Global AI Glasses Shipments (2025) | 8.4 million units | Omdia / Reuters |
Meta Defends Hardware Design Amid Eavesdropping and Tampering Incidents
Addressing critics during a visit to the company’s Dublin headquarters, Maxine Williams, vice president for accessibility and engagement at Meta, defended the eyewear’s utility and privacy architecture in an interview with RTÉ News. Confronted with instances of users capturing non-consensual footage of women and girls for social media, Ms Williams argued that any recording device can be used covertly, distinguishing Meta’s hardware by pointing to its built-in notification systems.
“What’s different with these glasses is that if you think of all of the things on which someone can be recorded, inappropriately, these are the only ones where there is actually built into it, hardwired, a warning, a notification that you are being filmed,” Ms Williams told RTÉ News, adding that an LED light blinks during video capture and photography, and halts recording if tampered with.
Despite these safeguards, widespread reports indicate that individuals have successfully disabled the notification lights by drilling into them or masking them with physical covers. Acknowledging these vulnerabilities, Ms Williams stated, “We learn what bad actors will do. We learned that they were covering the light and so we built something in to stop that. We learned that people were trying to drill the light to disable it, so we built something to stop that.”
Technical vulnerabilities have extended beyond physical modifications. Malwarebytes reported that certain Ray-Ban Meta owners discovered unprompted voice recordings and transcripts stored without the activation of the “Hey Meta” wake phrase following a firmware update. Although Meta informed Android Authority that the software glitch has since been resolved, the incident amplified broader anxieties regarding passive listening.
Balancing Commercial Accessibility Against Public Bans
Privacy concerns have translated into commercial friction. Bars, restaurants, offices, and courts worldwide have banned the eyewear, drawing criticism from company representatives. “It’s very, it’s concerning and it’s sad,” Ms Williams told RTÉ News, noting a recent retail visit where store personnel barred entry with her smart glasses while permitting recording via standard smartphones. “They were very happy for me to film anything with a phone or any other device. That just doesn’t make sense.”
To counter public skepticism, Meta has emphasized the social utility of the devices for visually impaired users. In August, the company announced plans to donate 15,000 pairs of AI-enabled glasses to Vision Ireland, the national sight loss charity. Illustrating the functional benefits, Ms Williams explained how the onboard camera analyzes immediate surroundings to assist users with domestic tasks like identifying ingredients or finding their way through unfamiliar indoor environments.
Regarding data retention and model training, Ms Williams clarified to RTÉ News that users now have an option to opt out of their images being used for the training of AI models.
As EssilorLuxottica prepares to report its financial results, investors and market analysts continue to monitor whether regulatory headwinds and public pushback will constrain the upward trajectory of AI wearable adoption.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
