Texas AG opens investigation into Meta glasses over privacy, biometric concerns
Texas AG opens investigation into Meta glasses over privacy, biometric concerns
Publish Date: 2026-05-21 13:38:00
Source Domain: www.biometricupdate.com
Texas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton announced Wednesday that he has opened an investigation into Meta’s AI-enabled smart glasses, escalating scrutiny of wearable cameras and AI tools that can quietly capture, process, and potentially analyze the people and places around the wearer.
Paxton’s office issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Meta as part of a probe into the company’s Meta AI Glasses, including Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, over concerns about privacy representations and the devices’ ability to expose Texans’ private data, recordings, and facial geometry.
The investigation focuses on whether the glasses may unlawfully record people, monitor bystanders, or collect biometric information without adequate notice or consent.
In July 2024, Paxton secured a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta to stop the company’s practice of capturing and using the personal biometric data of millions of Texans without the authorization required by law.
Paxton’s latest inquiry places Meta’s expanding wearable AI business directly in the path of Texas’ aggressive biometric privacy enforcement.
“Meta’s AI glasses are a privacy nightmare for Texans,” Paxton said in announcing the investigation. “These devices can easily invade personal privacy by collecting biometric data and recording Texans without their knowledge or consent.”
Meta’s smart glasses are designed to look like ordinary eyewear but include cameras, microphones, speakers, and AI features that allow users to capture photos, record video, livestream, listen to audio, make calls, and interact with Meta AI.
The devices are marketed as a hands-free way to remain present while still documenting or querying the world around the wearer.
Meta’s own product materials say Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses give users control over what they share and encourage wearers to respect others’ preferences, stop recording when asked, power the glasses off in sensitive spaces, and show people how…
