AI smart glasses face Europe privacy backlash

AI smart glasses are facing growing privacy pressure in Europe, with Oslo banning them in schools, a British petition seeking a sales ban and EU lawmakers asking whether the devices need stricter rules.

The glasses can take photos, record video, play music, make calls, translate text and connect users to an AI assistant. Meta's smart glasses, developed with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, sold about seven million pairs in 2025, after two million were sold across 2023 and 2024.

The backlash has been driven by concerns that people can be filmed without their knowledge. In Britain, a 17-year-old girl told Channel 4 News in August that a man had approached her while covertly recording her and their interaction.

Meta told AFP it had taken several steps to prevent tampering with the blinking LED light meant to show when the device is recording. The company said those efforts were already deterring businesses that offered to disable the lights.

Norway's capital banned the glasses in schools this week as the government considers regulating their use and possible restrictions on facial recognition features in public. France's CNIL data protection watchdog has urged vigilance.

European Union lawmaker Veronika Cifrova Ostrihonova said she had asked the European Commission whether the glasses comply with data protection and AI rules. The Commission said national data protection authorities are responsible for enforcing privacy rules, while the European Data Protection Board has commissioned a report expected in autumn on the glasses' social acceptability.

A British and Irish campaign called Stop Smart Glasses has also launched a petition calling for action. It has more than 9,100 signatures; the British government must respond if it reaches 10,000.