Once a futuristic gadget given screen time in films like Back to the Future Part II and The Terminator, smart glasses are now mainstream, most notably in the form of Meta’s Ray‑Ban frames.
But as the technology becomes more common, unsettling testimonies have emerged online of people being filmed without their consent—particularly by strangers or on dates.
Amid existing jumpiness around peer‑to‑peer surveillance and deepfakes, the idea that a device indistinguishable from ordinary shades can capture crisp video has triggered new fears.
The Rise of Smart Glasses
Gabrielle Rosemond, head of industry, education and services at TikTok, describes this as the latest manifestation of a long-running conflict between what is visible in public and what becomes permanent online.
“While we have historically had limited expectations of privacy in public, the scale and speed of content distribution in public spaces has changed,” she told Newsweek.
She cautions that a casual, unassuming moment captured outdoors can now be amplified to millions of viewers online within hours, often without context or consent.
Rosemond added that while many smart glasses include recording indicators, they can be subtle and easily missed in well-lit environments, and that the average person may not immediately recognize a device is recording.
That subtlety is part of the consumer appeal, but also the public unease.
Meta and Ray‑Ban released the second generation of the glasses in October 2023 and an upgraded version rolled out in September 2025. Now, Meta has announced plans to integrate facial recognition into the glasses, a move widely considered as a privacy red flag.
“Our glasses have an LED light that activates whenever someone captures content, so it’s clear to others that the device is recording and features tamper detection technology to prevent people from covering that light,” a Meta spokesperson told Newsweek. “Our terms of service clearly state that users are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and should not tamper with the product. As with any recording device, including phones, people should use smart glasses in a safe, respectful manner, which includes not engaging in harmful activities like harassment, infringing privacy rights, or capturing sensitive information.
“We are aware that there are small numbers of users who choose to misuse our products, despite the measures we have put in place. We are dedicated to delivering valuable, safe, and innovative products for people and continually review opportunities to enhance our AI glasses, informed by customer feedback and ongoing research.”
The spokesperson added that the issue of covert recording is not unique to smart glasses and that Meta is working with women’s safety groups to understand the different ways harassment toward women can manifest, while improving its technologies to find and remove abusive accounts more quickly.
How To Stay Safe
For Mark McCreary, chair of the Artificial Intelligence Practice at Fox Rothschild, LLP, the first step in protecting yourself from high-tech shades is knowing what recording looks and sounds like on the device people are most likely to encounter.
“The most reliable indicator is a small white LED light on the right temple of Meta Ray‑Ban glasses,” he told Newsweek. “It illuminates whenever the camera is recording or taking a photo.”
Meta also designed the glasses to emit audio chimes when recording starts and stops, which, McCreary said, can be audible in quieter environments. But even those cues come with a warning label.
Though the LED was designed to be tamper‑resistant with sensors meant to detect attempts to cover it, McCreary said he has seen glassed that have been modified to permanently disable the light. In other words, the indicator exists, but it is not foolproof and bad actors can break through it.
When To Go to the Police
So what should you do if you suspect the person across from you is filming? Rosemond’s advice starts not with confrontation, but with composure.
“If someone believes they’re being recorded and feels uncomfortable, the safest first step is to calmly ask,” she said. “In many cases, a direct but non-confrontational approach can resolve the issue.”
But she underscored the caveat that any situation can turn volatile.
“Individuals should always prioritize their safety,” she added. “Escalation, especially in emotionally charged situations, can introduce unnecessary risks.”
That “safety first” principle is also important because the legal landscape is messy, not yet up to speed with the rapidly evolving technology, and can seem counterintuitive to people who feel violated.
Rosemond noted that recording in public is often permitted in the U.S. when there is no expectation of privacy. McCreary broke down the U.S. rules in more depth, explaining that recording laws are not uniform across the country. In states with one‑party consent, only one participant in the interaction need consent, which can be the recorder. In states with all‑party consent, everyone being recorded must consent.
In the latter, recording someone without consent in a setting where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy may be a criminal offense, and reporting an incident to police could be appropriate. In one‑party consent states, McCreary says the legal calculus is different because the recorder can consent for themselves, making many recordings legal even without another person’s knowledge.
Even then, context changes everything.
Like Rosemond, McCreary notes that if recordings are being used for stalking, harassment, or distributed without consent—particularly intimate images—those may be criminal violations worth reporting to law enforcement.
Yosi Yahoudai, co‑founder and managing partner of J&Y Law Firm, seconds Rosemond’s view that the technology is outpacing the public’s ability to recognize it.
“Smart glasses are supposed to signal that they’re recording, but most people don’t know what to look for yet,” he told Newsweek.
Like McCreary, Yahoudai emphasizes that whether you can report being recorded without consent depends on where the footage was taken, because consent laws differ by state. Recording in public spaces is often legal even when it feels invasive, he pointed out.
“But if the recording turns into harassment, stalking or recording private conversations when there’s a reasonable expectation of privacy, you definitely want to report that to the police,” he said. “The problem is that most people don’t realize a legal line was crossed.
“Once digital content is out there, it spreads quickly and is hard to erase.”
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