Key facts
- Several UK venues, including restaurants, pubs, and theatres, have banned Meta's smart glasses.
- The bans are due to concerns over customer and staff privacy and the potential for surreptitious surveillance.
- Restaurateur Jeremy King and Wetherspoons CEO Tim Martin expressed strong reservations about the glasses.
- Soho House and ATG Theatres also confirmed filming is not permitted with these devices.
- Meta states the glasses have built-in privacy features, including a non-disableable LED indicator when recording.
Several prominent UK venues, including high-end restaurants, pub chains, and theatres, have implemented bans on Meta's smart glasses due to significant privacy concerns. Restaurateur Jeremy King, owner of establishments like Simpsons in the Strand, stated he would not allow any invasion of guest privacy beyond natural observation. Similarly, Soho House private members' clubs and ATG Theatres will require users to remove the devices, as filming is prohibited. Wetherspoons CEO Tim Martin cited the glasses' potential for surreptitious surveillance as a breach of common sense and pub codes.
The smart glasses, which resemble normal eyewear and feature embedded cameras, are designed by Meta to allow users to stay "in the moment" without constantly using a smartphone. However, widespread fears persist about their use for recording individuals without consent and posting footage online. Despite Meta's assertion that a tiny LED light indicates recording, there have been instances of people being filmed unknowingly, with one case involving a demand for money to remove videos from social media. Instagram has begun removing non-consensual videos made with the glasses.
Meta has actively promoted the glasses, including through social media influencers, and sales have reportedly tripled in the last year, with over 7 million sold globally. Some figures, like Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, view the technology positively, seeing potential for creative uses and stating that filming is now part of everyday life. A Meta spokesperson emphasized that privacy is built into the glasses, citing the non-disableable capture LED and the camera disabling if the LED is obstructed.