Meta’s Smart Glasses Have Even Bigger Privacy Issues Than We Thought
Meta’s Smart Glasses Have Even Bigger Privacy Issues Than We Thought
Publish Date: 2026-03-18 14:11:00
Source Domain: www.popularmechanics.com
4 min read
Last month, Swedish publications Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten published a damning report that has us reeling over the privacy implications of using smart glasses equipped with cameras to record photos and video hands-free. The publications interviewed Meta contractors in Kenya who help train the AI used by the brand’s smart glasses, including Ray-Ban Display, Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2), and Oakley Meta HSTNs, who said that Meta reviews all of the videos recorded by any user who agrees to share their data for AI training purposes, including extremely private footage.
“We see everything—from living rooms to naked bodies. Meta has that type of content in its databases,” one of the workers told reporters.
Without more clarity on how these systems work, it is unclear whether it is possible to use smart features of these glasses without sharing everything. (One would like to believe that opting out of sharing “extra data” for AI training would keep your footage private, but the report makes it clear that if you use Meta’s AI features, some data will be shared.) Realistically, you should assume that everything you record with your smart glasses will be seen by other people. That includes everything from using the bathroom to looking over your bank account details.
That will likely raise serious questions about privacy. Knowing that data you share with Meta includes raw video may impact whether or not you want to use them. It also raises questions about whether or not it’s okay to record other people, who may be comfortable with you seeing the footage, but might not be aware of who else might be watching. In both cases, it is clearly important to know how these glasses work before you buy a pair.
Who’s Watching, Exactly?
After the initial report was published, Meta found itself in the news explaining that, yes, people do review the video shot on its Meta AI glasses. “When people share content with Meta AI, like other companies we…
