International concern is mounting over Meta’s apparent push to integrate facial recognition technology into its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, following a patent application filed in February for a system that could allow the glasses to identify people within the wearer’s field of vision.
The proposed technology could also automatically create recordings when recognised individuals perform certain actions, compile video clips and send them to a phone, computer or virtual reality headset.
According to a report by French newspaper Le Figaro, the patent, published in August, is the latest in a series of indications that Meta remains interested in facial recognition technology.
Previous reports revealed that the company had internally tested a facial recognition feature called “Name Tag”. Meta also tested related technology within its Meta AI application before removing the associated code.
Meta, however, says it has not delivered such a product to consumers and that “no final decision has been made” about the project’s future.
The issue has become increasingly sensitive because of the rapid spread of Ray-Ban Meta glasses. According to the report, Meta sold seven million pairs last year and now controls around 70 per cent of the smart glasses market.
Covert Recording and Surveillance Concerns
Privacy concerns extend beyond facial recognition itself.
Unlike a smartphone, which usually has to be taken out and visibly pointed towards someone to record them, smart glasses can capture footage while simply being worn.
A small LED light built into the frame is designed to alert people when the camera is recording. However, some users have attempted to disable or circumvent the indicator, contributing to the spread of videos showing people being filmed in public without their knowledge.
According to e-Enfance, an organisation working to protect minors from cyber harassment, France’s 3018 helpline has received around 20 reports since the beginning of 2026 involving women who were filmed without their knowledge using smart glasses before the footage appeared on TikTok.
These practices prompted Meta to update the glasses’ software so that recording stops when the LED indicator is obstructed. The company has also threatened legal action against businesses that help users bypass these protections.
More Than 70 Organisations Raise Objections
More than 70 non-governmental organisations have written to Meta urging the company to abandon plans to deploy facial recognition technology through its glasses.
They warned that the technology could be used by criminals or government authorities to identify otherwise unknown people in public spaces.
“People should be able to go about their daily lives without fearing that stalkers, scammers, federal agents or activists from any political party can secretly verify their identity,” the organisations said.
They also warned that connecting a person’s identity to other available data could expose information about their “health, hobbies or relationships”.
The concern is therefore not simply that a person could be photographed without their consent. Facial recognition could potentially turn an anonymous person in a public place into an identifiable individual whose identity could then be linked to other personal information.
France Warns of a New Privacy Challenge
In France, the National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, known as CNIL, has joined the debate.
The regulator warned that the growing use of internet-connected glasses represents “a new challenge for privacy and raises major ethical and societal issues”, calling for “collective vigilance”.
CNIL said existing safeguards, including LED recording indicators, have a “limited scope”. It also criticised how difficult it can be for members of the public to see or recognise the “data collection devices” embedded in such products.
A survey conducted for the regulator found that 67 per cent of respondents believed internet-connected glasses represented a threat to privacy.
Concerns focused particularly on a person’s right to control their own image, the question of consent, the possible misuse of artificial intelligence and uncertainty over what happens to data collected by the glasses.
Are Existing Laws Enough?
Legal opinion remains divided over whether smart glasses require entirely new legislation.
Optical industry analyst Yedrik Rossi argues that the rise in misuse and public concern could push France towards new laws because the technology currently operates in what he describes as a “grey area”.
Lawyer Julie Jacob disagrees that an entirely new legal framework is necessarily required.
“We already have all the legal tools needed to prevent the use of images or the collection of data,” she said.
Jacob points to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, French civil law protecting image rights, criminal law and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects respect for private life.
But she also identifies a fundamental problem: having laws does not necessarily guarantee their enforcement.
“What remains is ensuring that the law is actually applied,” she said.
For Jacob, the problem also lies in how the devices are designed and how they are used.
“We are already in a hazardous area,” she added.
Norway, Germany and Europe Examine Restrictions
Norwegian authorities have announced plans to prevent facial recognition functions from being used in public places and to establish rules governing smart glasses.
“We have to prevent these devices from being used to monitor other people in public spaces,” Norwegian Digitalisation Minister Karianne Tung said.
In Germany, human rights organisation HateAid has filed a criminal complaint against Meta seeking to prevent the sale of its smart glasses.
The organisation has called for such devices to be “clearly identifiable through their design”, rather than appearing almost indistinguishable from ordinary glasses.
The Hamburg Parliament has also approved a proposal calling for smart glasses to be banned on public transport and in swimming pools and saunas.
At the European level, CNIL has opened discussions with its counterparts within the European Data Protection Board, while European institutions continue to examine the issue.
The European Commission, however, currently sees no need for an additional legal framework.
It says the General Data Protection Regulation already establishes “clear and strict rules” that remain applicable regardless of the technology involved, including artificial intelligence.
Smart Glasses Banned From Courts
Privacy and security concerns have also reached judicial and law enforcement institutions.
During the summer, smart glasses were banned from courts in England and Wales to prevent defendants, lawyers, employees and members of the public from being secretly photographed or recorded.
In the United States, Philadelphia courts banned the devices in March.
From 20 July, the prohibition was extended across all 1,240 courts in New York State.
US federal immigration authorities have also prohibited employees from using smart glasses because of concerns over potential data leaks.
A separate media report found that US law enforcement agencies were worried the technology could be used to secretly record police officers, facilities and prisons.
Meta Responds as Pressure Builds
Facing growing criticism, Meta rolled out two consecutive software updates during the summer.
The company said recording would stop if the LED indicators were blocked and warned that it could pursue legal action against companies helping users circumvent the mechanism.
According to the report, Meta may also introduce a new version of its smart glasses without a camera in an attempt to address mounting criticism.
But the broader controversy extends beyond the camera itself.
Once artificial intelligence is integrated into wearable technology, the concern is no longer simply that the glasses can record the person standing in front of them. The greater question is whether the device can determine who that person is and connect their identity to other information.
That possibility has widened the debate from individual users and civil liberties organisations to data protection regulators, parliaments, courts and law enforcement agencies.
The controversy recalls the privacy debate surrounding Google Glass more than a decade ago.
The difference today is the power of artificial intelligence.
Smart glasses are no longer merely devices capable of displaying information or capturing photographs. They could increasingly become systems capable of identifying people and analysing what is happening in front of the wearer in real time.
