Smart Glasses Boom Sparks Privacy Debate as Meta Ray-Bans Gain Popularity

Smart glasses are emerging as one of the latest wearable technology trends, with devices capable of making calls, interacting with AI, playing music and recording photos and videos without requiring users to reach for a phone.

But as the technology becomes more visible on streets, in parks and at public events, concerns are growing over how it should be used around other people.

Wetherspoons, which operates almost 800 pubs across the UK, has banned customers from using smart glasses to record inside its venues. Women’s rights campaigners have also warned that the devices could create new opportunities for harassment and filming without consent.

At the same time, social media creators continue to embrace the technology, particularly on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, where first-person videos can attract hundreds of thousands of views.

Pearse Vallely, a 31-year-old content creator from Ballymurphy in west Belfast, is among those using Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses to produce videos. His content often shows his view while walking through the city and greeting strangers with rhyming phrases.

One of his most successful videos, filmed in Belfast city centre, attracted around 600,000 views on TikTok.

Vallely said he tries to use the glasses in a positive way and has never published a video after someone asked him not to. He also said nobody had contacted him to request that a video be removed.

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He believes the friendly nature of his interactions helps people understand his intentions.

The Meta Ray-Ban glasses are currently among the most prominent products in the growing smart-glasses market, with Meta saying more than seven million pairs have been sold.

Available for a few hundred pounds, the glasses are produced in partnership with Ray-Ban and include a small camera built into the frames. Users can activate the camera by touching the glasses.

A pulsing white light is designed to indicate when video recording is taking place, while a flash signals when photographs are captured. Meta has said the indicator is an important privacy feature and recently introduced an update that disables the camera if attempts are made to interfere with the recording light.

Analysts expect the market to expand rapidly, with researchers estimating that as many as 100 million people could purchase smart glasses in the coming years.

Vallely said people often notice the recording light and are therefore aware that they may be filmed. He also tries to tell people when he has recorded them, where possible.

In Northern Ireland, recording someone in a public place is generally legal because people in public spaces do not normally have a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, filming can become unlawful if it amounts to harassment or stalking, is voyeuristic or occurs in circumstances where privacy would reasonably be expected.

The debate has intensified following several incidents involving smart glasses. Last year, a woman on the New York subway was praised after breaking a man’s Meta glasses following a confrontation.

Police in Scotland also launched an investigation in July after receiving complaints about a TikTok creator accused of secretly recording members of the public using the glasses.

Wetherspoons said smart glasses raised concerns because they could enable what it described as “surreptitious surveillance”. Monopoly Events, which runs Comic Con Northern Ireland, has also prohibited the glasses at its events because of concerns about hidden recording.

Another area of concern involves social media videos showing users approaching women, asking for their phone numbers and recording their reactions to pick-up lines. Some of these videos are shared under hashtags such as #howtogetagirlfriend and attract thousands of views.

Women’s rights campaigners say the technology could make it more difficult for people to know when they are being recorded.

Elaine Crory, a women’s sector lobbyist at the Women’s Resource and Development Agency, said people can normally recognise when someone is filming with a phone or conventional camera. Smart glasses, she argued, can make recording less obvious.

She also raised concerns about the potential use of the devices for activities that are already illegal, including upskirting.

Crory said people can request the removal of unwanted videos from social media platforms, while some venues have introduced restrictions. However, she argued that legislation has not fully caught up with the technology.

The Northern Ireland Department of Justice said existing criminal offences could apply when the use of smart glasses crosses the legal threshold, including offences involving voyeurism and upskirting.

Despite the concerns, experts say smart glasses could also provide significant benefits.

Belfast optometrist Geoff McConville, who sells Meta glasses, said the technology could be particularly useful for people with visual impairments. AI-powered text-to-speech functions can help users read newspapers, signs and other written information.

For elderly and visually impaired users, McConville described the technology as potentially “ground-breaking”.

Meta has also defended the devices, saying they provide important new technology for people with limited vision or hearing. The company has argued that broad restrictions on their use could limit the benefits of the technology.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has said content that exploits or harasses people can be removed from the platform.

As smart glasses become more common, the central challenge may be finding a balance between technological innovation, creative freedom and the right to privacy in public spaces.