Meta Platforms, Inc. has been sued after alarming privacy concerns over the company’s AI smart glasses recently surfaced.
A collaborative investigation by two Swedish newspapers led to disturbing reports claiming that Ray-Ban Meta glasses were recording their owners’ private lives.
Meta, previously known as Facebook, first released the product on October 17, 2023, two years after its rebranding. The glasses had features such as a camera, audio/video calls, live streaming, and messaging, and were equipped with Meta AI.
“So they admit they spy on you,” one user said, and another called Meta “spying, peeping Toms.”
US citizens sued Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta over alarming privacy concerns
Image credits: Getty/Picture Alliance
The investigation by the Swedish news outlets Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten revealed that employees at a Kenya-based subcontractor, Sama, were viewing private footage recorded by Meta glasses.
The videos often included highly personal and sensitive content, including n*dity, bank details, private chats, and even moments of physical intimacy.
Image credits: META
Two U.S. citizens, Mateo Canu of California and Gina Bartone of New Jersey, have filed a lawsuit in San Francisco against Meta over the matter. They are represented by Clarkson Law Firm, which specializes in public-interest cases, according to the United States District Court website.
The lawsuit accuses Mark Zuckerberg’s company of false advertising and disregarding privacy laws. It alleges that the Ray-Ban Meta glasses were promoted in advertisements as “designed for privacy, controlled by you,” a stark contrast to what recent reports claimed.
Image credits: Getty/Alex Wong
The lawsuit has accused Meta’s manufacturing partner for the product, Luxottica of America, of conduct that violates consumer protection laws, according to Euro News.
The U.S. version of their policy states that, in some cases, Meta will review consumers’ interactions with AI, and the review may be conducted by a human.
Kenyan subcontractor employees blew the whistle on Meta’s alleged privacy breach
Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten spoke to several unnamed employees of Sama, a Nairobi-based data annotation company, who spilled the details on the type of videos they have been watching on the back end.
Their identities were not revealed as the individuals are under confidentiality agreements with Meta.
“In some videos, you can see someone going to the toilet or getting undr*ssed. I don’t think they know, because if they knew, they wouldn’t be recording,” one employee said.
Image credits: raybanmeta
Another said, “I saw a video where a man puts the glasses on the bedside table and leaves the room. Shortly afterwards, his wife comes in and changes her clothes.”
“Someone may have been walking around with the glasses, or happened to be wearing them, and then the person’s partner was in the bathroom, or they had just come out n*ked,” one employee shared.
“We see chats where someone talks about crimes or protests. It is not just greetings; it can be very dark things as well,” one of the workers revealed.
Image credits: raybanmeta
One data annotator warned: “We see everything – from living rooms to n*ked bodies. Meta has that type of content in its databases. People can record themselves in the wrong way and not even know what they are recording.”
The videos primarily come from Western countries, they said, especially from regular users of the glasses. Watching the clips makes them uncomfortable, but protesting would come with consequences, they shared.
Image credits: Getty/Anna Moneymaker
“You understand that it is someone’s private life you are looking at, but at the same time you are just expected to carry out the work,” one said. “You are not supposed to question it. If you start asking questions, you are gone.”
Meta is being investigated by the governments of multiple countries
@raybanmetaMy phone seeing me watch this unboxing: 🫥♬ original sound – raybanmeta
After the report emerged, information protection-related authorities of several countries took decisive steps to shed more light on the matter.
The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection contacted Meta, demanding a meeting and further explanation, according to Svenska Dagbladet. They also reported that the Irish Data Protection Authority has called for Meta’s response. The company’s European headquarters is located in Dublin, Ireland.
Image credits: Getty/Justin Sullivan
The U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office has started an investigation into the matter as well.
People on the internet are equally enraged.
“Normalize the phrase ‘Pervert Glasses’ for these things!” one said. “They’re quite the Epsteinian glasses,” another offered.
“Raincoats are out… Meta glasses are in! The stylish accessory for the well-dressed pervert in 2026,” one person joked.
Another had a conspiracy theory: “Something tells me the data being collected by those glasses will be used by Zucc’s AI agent that can simulate a de*d person.”
“Why are meta employees seeing footage anyway?” mused one individual.
“Potential for heinous crimes.” The internet was up in arms over Meta allegedly spying with AI glasses
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