Major technology companies are now preparing for what many believe could become the next big consumer tech revolution. Millions of AI-powered glasses are expected to enter the market in the coming years, with Meta currently leading the race through its Ray-Ban smart glasses.
But as sales surge, disturbing questions are emerging about how the devices are being used in everyday life.
Women in particular are increasingly finding themselves unknowingly recorded in public spaces by strangers wearing Meta’s smart glasses. From beaches and shopping centres to sidewalks and subway stations, users — often young men — have been secretly filming interactions, casual conversations and pickup attempts before posting the footage online for views and engagement.
In many cases, the women only realize they were recorded after the videos gain traction on social media, sometimes attracting mockery, harassment and abuse from strangers online.
One woman told the BBC she contacted a man who had secretly uploaded footage of her and requested that it be removed. According to her, the response she received was chilling.
“It was a paid service,” she said she was told.
Because recording in public places is generally considered legal in many countries, victims often have very limited legal options, even when the footage feels invasive or exploitative.
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have become the dominant force in the smart eyewear market, reportedly accounting for more than 80% of global AI or smart glasses sales. The company gained an early advantage by launching the product years ahead of most competitors.
Developed in partnership with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, the glasses were intentionally designed to look almost identical to ordinary Ray-Bans. Hidden within the stylish frames are tiny cameras, miniature speakers and AI-powered features capable of taking photos, recording videos, playing audio, answering calls and displaying information directly to the wearer.
Users can begin recording almost instantly with a light tap on the side of the frames.
What makes the technology especially controversial is how discreet it appears.
The built-in camera is so difficult to notice that many people cannot tell when they are being recorded. Even the small indicator light meant to signal active recording is reportedly hard to see in daylight conditions.
Some owners of the glasses have admitted they accidentally captured footage without realizing the device was recording.
The privacy concerns deepened further after allegations surfaced involving workers in Kenya who were reportedly hired to review videos recorded through Meta’s glasses in order to help train the company’s AI systems.
According to reports, moderators were allegedly forced to watch disturbing and highly personal footage, including sexual content and videos filmed inside bathrooms.
The revelations led to two separate lawsuits involving Meta users.
In one case, users argued they had no idea certain recordings had even been created by the glasses. In another, users claimed they were unaware their footage could be shared internally with human reviewers for AI training and moderation purposes.
Meta has previously maintained that users were informed through its terms of service that human review of recordings could occur under certain conditions.
Despite the controversies, consumer demand continues to rise sharply.
More than seven million pairs of Meta smart glasses have reportedly been sold so far.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently praised the product’s growth, describing the glasses as:
“Some of the fastest-growing consumer electronics in history.”
The company insists the technology should be used responsibly.
Tracy Clayton, a Meta spokesperson, told the BBC that the company has teams working to reduce abuse and misuse of the devices, but emphasized that responsibility ultimately lies with users themselves.
“We have teams dedicated to limiting and combating misuse, but as with any technology, the onus is ultimately on individual people to not actively exploit it,” Clayton said.
The success of Meta’s glasses has now triggered a rush among other technology giants hoping to dominate what many believe could become the industry’s next major hardware category after smartphones.
Apple is reportedly developing its own smart glasses product, with reports suggesting a launch could happen as early as next year.
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has also announced plans to release a new version of its smart glasses called “Specs” later this year.
Google, meanwhile, is preparing another attempt at entering the smart glasses market more than a decade after the failure of Google Glass — a product that became infamous for privacy concerns and public backlash before being withdrawn from mainstream consumers within two years.
Most upcoming smart glasses are expected to combine artificial intelligence with augmented reality features, much like Meta’s current devices. Cameras are considered central to those experiences, meaning future products will likely intensify ongoing privacy debates rather than reduce them.
Still, supporters of the technology argue that smart glasses also offer genuinely useful everyday benefits.
Mark Smith, a technology consultant and partner at advisory firm ISG, said he wears his Meta Ray-Bans every single day.
“I’ve used them around the world, in all kinds of places. The basic features are great,” Smith said.
Although Smith considers himself an early adopter of technology, he explained that the appeal of the glasses is not necessarily about futuristic AI capabilities.
Instead, he appreciates the convenience they provide during ordinary daily activities.
He said he often wears the glasses while washing dishes because they allow him to listen to music or podcasts without completely blocking surrounding sounds the way headphones do. He also finds taking calls through the glasses easier and enjoys being able to quickly capture travel photos and videos without constantly reaching for his phone.
Even so, Smith acknowledged the privacy concerns are obvious.
He noted that the recording light is so subtle that many people do not notice it, and most individuals assume he is simply wearing ordinary glasses.
Researchers now estimate that if adoption continues at its current pace, as many as 100 million people could own smart glasses within the next several years.
If that prediction becomes reality, experts say enforcing restrictions on recording in sensitive places could become extremely difficult.
Traditional rules banning filming in courthouses, hospitals, movie theatres, museums and bathrooms may suddenly become harder to enforce when cameras are embedded into ordinary-looking eyewear worn by millions of people.
David Kessler, head of the US privacy practice at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, said many corporate clients are already struggling to adapt to the implications of the technology.
“There are some pretty dark places we could go here,” Kessler warned.
He continued:
“I’m not anti-technology in any sense, but as a societal matter… will I need to think [of being recorded] anytime I go out in public?”
Concerns are also growing over reports that Meta may eventually introduce facial recognition capabilities into future versions of its glasses.
If implemented, wearers could potentially not only record strangers discreetly, but also instantly identify them using AI technology.
Meta currently markets the glasses under the slogan:
“Designed for privacy, controlled by you.”
The company advises users not to record individuals who object to being filmed and recommends completely turning off the device in sensitive environments.
Critics say those recommendations are often ignored in practice.
One of the fastest-growing trends involving the glasses is prank content.
Users frequently record unsuspecting strangers while asking them to sign fake petitions, convincing store employees to smell foul-smelling candles, or carrying out disruptive stunts in public. Some videos even show creators stealing food from drive-thru windows while filming their escape.
The presence of smart glasses is also beginning to create social discomfort in intimate or personal settings.
Online influencer Aniessa Navarro said she felt deeply uncomfortable after realizing a beauty technician performing a personal waxing appointment was wearing Meta smart glasses.
Although the technician claimed the glasses were not recording and only contained prescription lenses, Navarro said the experience left her feeling uneasy and unsettled.
Meta executives have attempted to downplay the growing stigma.
Two weeks ago, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth responded to concerns on Instagram regarding “the stigma around people wearing smart glasses every day.”
Bosworth argued that the popularity of the product itself proves broad public acceptance.
“The sheer number of Meta Ray-Bans sold suggests that these are widely accepted,” he said.
However, some former Meta insiders disagree.
David Harris, a former Meta AI researcher who now teaches at the University of California, Berkeley and advises governments in both the US and Europe on AI policy, believes the current generation of smart glasses may eventually face the same backlash that doomed Google Glass more than a decade ago.
“Technology like this is fundamentally an invasion of privacy and it’s really going to face more and more backlash,” Harris said.
Signs of that backlash are already appearing.
In December, a man uploaded a video complaining that a woman on the New York City subway broke his Meta glasses after realizing he was recording her.
But instead of sympathy, many people online celebrated the woman’s actions, calling her a hero for standing up against unwanted surveillance.
As AI-powered smart glasses become more advanced, more affordable and more common, society may soon be forced to decide where convenience ends — and where personal privacy begins.