In the UK, establishments have begun banning customers from using Meta smart glasses.

UK establishments have begun banning the use of Meta smart glasses by customers.

A number of restaurants, pubs, and theaters across the UK have banned the use of Meta smart glasses, which are equipped with built-in cameras. Owners of these establishments have expressed concerns about the potential for covert filming of guests and staff, despite Meta's assurances of privacy protections.

According to The Guardian, similar restrictions have already been introduced at several well-known London restaurants, the exclusive Soho House club, the Wetherspoons pub chain, and the ATG Theatres theater group. Customers wearing glasses with recording capabilities are being asked to either remove them or turn off the cameras.

Jeremy King, the owner of several London restaurants, stated that he will not tolerate any invasion of privacy. Tim Martin, CEO of Wetherspoons, noted that covert filming is contrary to accepted pub etiquette, which prohibits recording customers and staff without their consent.

Externally, these glasses are virtually indistinguishable from regular glasses. Miniature cameras are built into their frames. Meta claims that an LED indicator lights up while recording and cannot be disabled. Covering or damaging the indicator causes the camera to stop functioning.

However, critics believe these measures are insufficient. Recently, there have been reports of covert filming using these devices. In one incident, a man recorded a woman without her knowledge and then demanded money to remove the videos from social media. In another case, a woman was secretly filmed during intimate encounters.

Meta stated that privacy protection was a key focus during the development of the glasses. The company emphasized that the devices are designed not only for filming but also for listening to music, making voice calls, and providing real-time speech translation.

Despite increasing restrictions, demand for these devices continues to grow. According to Meta, sales of smart glasses have tripled over the past year, with over seven million devices sold worldwide.

Meta previously integrated a hidden facial recognition feature into the app for its smart glasses. The company stated that the technology is still in the research phase and is not in use, but experts warned of potential risks to user privacy.