In a nutshell: Regulators could classify Meta’s smart glasses as surveillance technology and enforce a market ban.
Hamburg’s data protection officer believes a complete sales ban for Meta’s smart glasses is possible, as he classifies the devices as concealed cameras.
Hamburg’s data protection officer views Meta’s glasses (also known as Ray-Ban Meta) as camera devices whose nature is not sufficiently transparent to third parties. This represents a central data protection challenge, as the devices enable recordings in public spaces without bystanders being able to clearly determine whether they are being recorded.
This assessment has a regulatory consequence: if smart glasses are considered concealed camera equipment, national or European data protection authorities could enforce a sales ban. This would have significant consequences for Meta on the European market, particularly in countries with strict data protection requirements such as Germany.
The position of Hamburg’s data protection officer illustrates the conflict between innovation incentives and the protection of personal rights: while manufacturers position wearables as practical everyday devices, regulators see the risk of uncontrolled third-party recordings. A possible solution lies in technical or regulatory mechanisms to signal the recording function, such as mandatory LED indicators or audio signals.
Source: www.golem.de · Published 1 August 2026
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