Privacy Concerns Over Meta's Smart Glasses
Consumer advocacy groups Idec (Instituto de Defesa de Consumidores) and the digital rights NGO Coding Rights have petitioned Brazil's Ministry of Public Prosecutors (MPF), the Ministry of Justice, and the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) to launch a full investigation into Meta's AI-enabled smart glasses.
The devices, developed with EssilorLuxottica and branded as Ray‑Ban and Oakley frames, embed cameras that record video when a front‑facing LED is active. While the LED indicates recording, the groups argue that it can be disabled by breaking the lamp or covering it, potentially allowing covert recordings of intimate or embarrassing moments without consent.
In a formal submission, the NGOs demanded a joint inquiry by the Federal Prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice and ANPD, and called for an immediate halt to any facial‑recognition technology tied to the glasses. Meta responded that each pair includes a non‑disabling capture LED that blinks whenever a photo or video is taken, and that the LED can be obscured only by damaging the device, which would also deactivate the camera.
Meta stresses the utility of the glasses, highlighting features such as hands‑free music playback, real‑time translation, and phone calls. However, the NGOs cite a growing number of incidents involving covert recordings, including a case in Salvador where a gynecologist was detained for allegedly using the glasses during a women's health consultation. The physician was released after a custody hearing, but the incident underscores what the groups describe as a "vulnerable environment for women where privacy must be absolute."
Although Meta claims the glasses currently lack active facial‑recognition functionality, a Wired investigation found remnants of the "name tag" code—used for facial identification on Instagram and Facebook—in the device’s operating system, which was later removed after contact with the magazine. The company had filed a U.S. patent application for a facial‑recognition‑enabled glasses in February, a document that was publicly released by CNET.
In 2024, MIT researchers demonstrated that the glasses could be used for facial‑recognition by streaming live video to Instagram and applying a recognition filter. Researchers also noted that Meta may be reviewing captured media through third‑party contractors to train AI models.
The advocacy groups have requested that ANPD assess the lawfulness of data transfers involving Brazilian users and compel Meta to publish a risk assessment concerning women, girls, children and adolescents, in line with the ECA Digital framework. They also seek a federal investigation into Meta and EssilorLuxottica for alleged violations of privacy, intimacy and personal data protections, with the possibility of a civil public action seeking collective moral damages.
Additionally, they have asked the Ministry of Justice to verify compliance with disclosure obligations regarding the LED indicator and to evaluate the physical and software design of the glasses for potential safety and perils.
The request reflects increasing scrutiny of emerging wearable technologies that blend augmented‑reality capabilities with extensive data collection, as regulators grapple with balancing innovation and fundamental privacy rights.