Ray-Ban Meta - smart glasses

Transparency, accountability 🙈

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses pose several important transparency and accountability limitations:

• Data collection. Meta's privacy policy for its smart glasses is broad and lacks specificity about what data is collected, how it is stored, and the purposes for which it is used. Users must link their glasses to a Facebook account and use the Facebook View app, which collects extensive personal data, including health information, location, contacts, and more. This raises concerns about users being unaware of the extent of data harvesting involved in using the product.

• Data use. Photos and videos captured with the glasses are sent to Meta's cloud for processing and may be used to train AI systems. This raises questions about consent and accountability, especially when images could be captured without the knowledge of individuals in the frame. Users have little control over how their data - and potentially that of others - will be used in AI training.

• Data abuse. Meta's privacy policy includes clauses about collecting data "to respond proactively or reactively to any potential abuse or policy violations." This vague language creates uncertainty about what constitutes abuse and how data may be collected or used beyond the user's immediate understanding.

• Recording notification. Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses feature a small LED light to indicate when recording is in progress; however, this light is often not visible in bright conditions. Critics argue that this design flaw undermines the transparency of the recording process, allowing users to capture images and videos of bystanders without their consent, which poses serious ethical and legal questions.

• Regulatory compliance. Despite existing regulations such as the EU's GDPR, there are concerns that Meta may not fully comply with these laws regarding data protection and user rights. The company's history of privacy violations further exacerbates skepticism about its commitment to safeguarding user data.

Risks, harms 🛑

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses pose serious risks and cause real harm to individuals and societies, including:  

• Privacy loss. Due in part to their looking like conventional sunglasses, and the ease with which the LED recording indicator can be missed, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses raise concerns about their use for covert surveillance in public and private spaces, often without bystanders’ knowledge or explicit consent.

• Confidentiality loss. Use of the glasses in workplaces may lead to covert recording of colleagues, customers, and confidential business information without consent or adequate notification, breaching data protection regulations and harming workplace trust and compliance.

• Harassment and other inappropriate behaviour. Reports of individuals using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to record women without permission while engaging in harassment raise safety concerns and contribute to an environment of intimidation. 

• Psychological distress. The knowledge or suspicion that anyone could be recording at any time without visible cues can induce stress, anxiety, and mistrust in public or private settings, undermining social trust and the sense of personal safety.

Research, advocacy 🧮

• Bhardwaj, Divyanshu; Ponticello, Alexander; Tomar, Shreya; Dabrowski, Adrian; Krombholz, Katharina. "In Focus, Out of Privacy: The Wearer's Perspective on the Privacy Dilemma of Camera Glasses"

• EDRi (2021). Why you shouldn't buy Facebook Ray-Ban smart glasses