Meta’s 'spy glasses' spark privacy alarm, prompting multiple UK venue bans

Meta has been under fire due to privacy concerns triggered by the production of a new line of camera-equipped smart glasses.

As a result, several prominent UK businesses and venues including Jeremy King’s restaurants, such as Simpsons in the Strand and Arlington, Soho House private members' clubs, Wetherspoons pubs, and ATG Theatres, have banned or restricted the glasses to protect the privacy of customers and staff and prevent unauthorized filming.

The glasses have raised widespread fears about clandestine surveillance and non-consensual recording. Instances include people being filmed without knowledge and having footage posted or used for harassment on social media, prompting crackdowns from platforms like Instagram.

Celebrated restaurateur Jeremy King, owner of London venues said, ““I would never knowingly allow any invasion of guest privacy other than with the eyes we were born with.”

The pub chain Wetherspoons will also restrict people and won’t let them record other customers using the glasses.

Tim Martin, its chief executive, said, “The general code that applies in our pubs, and most pubs, is that you can’t film customers or employees without their permission. Meta glasses seem to breach this code, and common sense, by enabling surreptitious surveillance, so our instinct is to say turn off the cameras. This is akin to our efforts to stop audible playing of videos in our pubs, which also invades people’s space.”

These glasses also received a mixed response from the industry as some notable personalities are embracing them. For instance, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge expressed no issues with them, viewing filming as a part of everyday life that can be used creatively.

However, Meta states that privacy was built into the glasses from the ground up, highlighting features like a non-removable, mandatory LED light that blinks whenever a photo or video is being captured.

“People use our glasses because they’re genuinely helpful – from listening to music, to live translation or hands-free calls. For those wearing them and the people around them, trust matters,” a Meta spokesperson said.