Meta Faces Lawsuit Over AI Glasses Privacy as Staff Reportedly Viewed Explicit Content

Meta is confronting a new lawsuit regarding privacy issues with its AI smart glasses. According to an investigation by Swedish newspapers, workers at a Kenya-based subcontractor have been reviewing customer footage. This footage reportedly included sensitive content such as nudity, sexual activity, and people using the toilet.

Meta stated that it blurs faces in images, but news reports cited sources claiming this measure does not always work effectively. The findings prompted the UK's Information Commissioner's Office to launch an inquiry.

The tech giant now faces legal action in the United States as well. In the newly filed complaint, plaintiffs Gina Bartone of New Jersey and Mateo Canu of California, represented by the public interest firm Clarkson Law, allege that Meta violated privacy laws and engaged in deceptive advertising.

The lawsuit contends that Meta's AI smart glasses are marketed with claims like "designed for privacy, controlled by you" and "built for your privacy." These statements, the complaint argues, could lead customers to believe their intimate moments captured on the glasses were not being viewed by overseas contractors. The plaintiffs say they relied on this marketing and saw no disclaimers contradicting the promised privacy protections.

The suit accuses Meta and its manufacturing partner, Luxottica of America, of violating consumer protection laws. Meta has declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

Clarkson Law Firm, known for previous major lawsuits against Apple, Google, and OpenAI, highlights the scale of the issue. With over seven million units sold in 2025, a vast amount of user footage enters a data pipeline for review without an opt-out option for customers.

In a statement to the BBC, Meta explained that when users share content with Meta AI, contractors may review the data to improve the product experience, a practice outlined in its privacy policy. The company referenced its Supplemental Terms of Service, though the specific location of this detail was not clarified. The BBC noted that mention of human review appears in Meta's UK AI terms of service.

Screenshot from the complaint

The legal filing focuses heavily on Meta's advertising, citing examples that promoted privacy benefits, detailed privacy settings, and touted an "added layer of security."

One advertisement read, "You're in control of your data and content," explaining that owners decide what to share with others.

The growing popularity of smart glasses and other "luxury surveillance" devices, such as always-listening AI pendants, has sparked significant public concern. In response, one developer released an app designed to detect nearby smart glasses.

Meta did not comment on the newly filed lawsuit itself.

However, spokesperson Christopher Sgro provided a general statement on the issue: "Ray-Ban Meta glasses help you use AI, hands-free, to answer questions about the world around you. Unless users choose to share media they’ve captured with Meta or others, that media stays on the user’s device. When people share content with Meta AI, we sometimes use contractors to review this data for the purpose of improving people’s experience, as many other companies do. We take steps to filter this data to protect people’s privacy and to help prevent identifying information from being reviewed."

Updated after publication with Meta’s statement.