Key facts
- The European Commission has exempted smart glasses and other wearable tech from rules requiring removable batteries.
- The exemption was made following pressure from the United States, with U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder advocating for Meta's products.
- This change clears a significant hurdle for Meta's smart glasses and potentially other similar devices from companies like Samsung and Google.
- Privacy advocates argue the exemption risks setting a dangerous precedent and dilutes consumer protections.
- The European Parliament and national governments have a 20-day window to object to the legislative tweak.
The European Commission has relaxed rules for smart glasses, exempting wearable technology from regulations that require removable batteries. This decision, presented as a legislative tweak via a delegated act, aims to facilitate the market entry of devices like Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have been hindered by their built-in, non-removable batteries.
The move comes after pressure from the United States, with U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder publicly defending the product and calling the existing rules overly restrictive. He emphasized the need to allow businesses to grow and innovate.
While the Commission stated the proposal followed a broad public consultation and was not about yielding to pressure, it aims to ensure safer consumer products in cases where opening a device poses safety risks or is technically unrealistic. The exemption applies to connected products including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and electric toys.
However, the decision has drawn criticism from privacy advocates. Cláudio Texeira, from the consumer protection group BEUC, warned against diluting consumer protections and stated that exemptions should be based on clear technical and safety evidence, not industry pressure. Concerns about smart glasses raising privacy and surveillance issues have been persistent, with past incidents involving data review by subcontractors and scrutiny from privacy watchdogs.
The European Parliament and national governments have a 20-day period to object to the change. If no objections are raised, the exemption will come into force, potentially benefiting other tech companies like Samsung, Google, and Apple planning their own smart glasses launches.