Keeping one eye on smart glasses and the other on growing privacy concerns
Written by Erin Bradbury - 27 July 2026
Smart glasses are looking to be a market with significant growth potential. Indeed, the global market is expected to reach $62.2 billion by 2035. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have attracted considerable attention, backed by celebrity endorsements. The product range is estimated to account for the vast majority of global sales (currently 80%) since its initial launch in 2021. Other major technology companies entering the market include Samsung and Google, who have partnered up and announced their own device, while Apple sits alone developing a similar tech.
These devices typically combine cameras, microphones and AI-powered assistants capable of processing information about a user's surroundings. To address privacy concerns, the glasses include an indicator light designed to signal when recording is taking place. However, as the products become more mainstream, reports of individuals being covertly recorded have fuelled concerns around privacy, transparency and consent. In turn, Meta’s privacy practices and data collection have fallen under scrutiny, because the implications for users and bystanders are not always clear.
In the US, Meta is facing a class action lawsuit filed in California alleging violations of privacy laws and false advertising. It centres around marketing claims that the tech-backed eyewear was ‘designed for privacy, controlled by you.’ The lawsuit argues that AI models are being trained from the user’s footage, and that voice recordings are being backed up for up to a year automatically, without the user being able to opt out of data processing.
Further concerns have arisen following reports in Kenya that contractors tasked with improving the device’s capabilities were exposed to intimate recordings without the user’s knowledge or consent. Meta has stated:“When people share content with Meta AI, like other companies we sometimes use contractors to review this data to improve people's experience with the glasses, as stated in our Privacy Policy. This data is first filtered to protect people's privacy.” Human review is common in AI development in order to teach machine learning models. However, the filtering process has been reported as working inconsistently.
In response the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), is currently probing Meta about how it is meeting its obligations under UK data protection law. The regulator stated: “Devices processing personal data, including smart glasses, should put users in control and provide appropriate transparency. This includes where user data is used to train or develop AI systems. Service providers must clearly explain what data is collected and how it is used.”
Although smart glasses are legal in the UK, there is currently no legislation specifically regulating the technology and so existing legal frameworks may apply to their use and misuse. These include criminal offences such as harassment, alongside privacy and data protection legislation.
The ICO has powers under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 to investigate and take enforcement action where appropriate. Where a breach of UK GDPR is established, the regulator may issue enforcement notices requiring changes to data processing practices and impose administrative fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of a company’s annual worldwide turnover. Similar enforcement powers exist under the EU GDPR.
So, when does UK GDPR apply? Well, it’s applicable where identifiable personal data is captured, stored and analysed beyond purely household activities. The organisation or individual acting as the data controller must comply with a range of obligations, such as ensuring the information is used fairly, lawfully and transparently; used for specified, explicit purposes; used in a way that is adequate, relevant and limited to only what is necessary; and handled in a way that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unlawful or unauthorised processing. It also extends to your right to be informed about how your data is being used, having it erased, and its portability.
As this tech becomes more commonplace, these issues will be more challenging for tech providers, regulators and users. So, will you be buying or boycotting smart glasses?