The rise of smart glasses equipped with high-definition cameras raised concerns in London surrounding privacy and consumer technology in public spaces.
According to CNN, videos posted on social media without the knowledge of the concerned person have brought questions about consent and whether existing privacy laws can keep pace with technology that allows people to record almost invisibly.
The glasses — which can capture video, photos and audio from the wearer’s perspective — are growing in popularity. They allow users to listen to music, take calls and snap photos hands-free, and some tech companies believe they could one day be the preferred way to communicate with AI assistants.
Recently, London bars, restaurants, theaters, and public institutions have started to restrict or ban camera-equipped smart glasses while some anti-smart glasses advertisements have appeared at bus stops.
Eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, which Meta partners with for its glasses, said 7 million pairs of AI glasses were sold in 2025.
Meta is holding its Connect conference this week, where it’s expected to announce new smart glasses without cameras, according to The Information Samsung and Google are expected to debut new jointly developed smart glasses this fall.
But as the technology becomes more widespread, so too has the backlash. Videos posted on social media showing men who appear to film women without their knowledge have raised questions about consent — and whether existing privacy laws can keep pace with technology that allows people to record almost invisibly.
“It makes it harder and harder to protect yourself by just looking around and screening for things,” Irina Raicu, director of the internet ethics program at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, previously told CNN. “So, the whole notion of consent is kind of disintegrating.”
London A Bellwether for How People Respond to Growing Tech
London, along with New York and Australia, is emerging as a bellwether for how people and businesses are responding to the growing tech.
Some hospitality and entertainment venues have introduced restrictions or bans, and anti-smart glasses advertisements have begun appearing at some bus stations throughout London.
One skewers Kylie Jenner’s ad campaign for Meta glasses, transforming her into a skeletal X-Ray with the tagline: “We’re Always Watching.”
The sentiment echoes a broader ban across the United Kingdom from August that prohibits smart glasses in the courtroom.
Some Londoners told CNN that smart glasses make them feel uneasy in places where people expect a degree of privacy, like bars, restaurants and other social settings.
‘Turn the cameras off’
Popular pub chain Wetherspoons has prohibited customers from recording using the glasses.
“I don’t really want to be filmed when I’m just out having a couple of pints,” Zak, a student at a Wetherspoons pub in central London, told CNN.
He said he had seen videos on TikTok in which people appeared unaware they were being filmed, adding that covering the glasses’ recording light was “ridiculous.”
Serena, another Wetherspoons customer, said she was particularly concerned about the possibility of being filmed without knowing where the footage might end up.
A Wetherspoons spokesperson told CNN, “With regard to Meta glasses, our instinct was to say, ‘turn the cameras off.’”
And while tech companies continue to develop smart glasses, integrating photography and artificial intelligence, Londoners mainly ask how to protect individual privacy when cameras become virtually invisible and integrated into everyday eyewear.
