GoKawiilAs privacy blowback grows over Meta's smart glasses, one nonprofit is taking matters into its own hands. German human rights group HateAid has filed a criminal complaint against Meta. It essentially argues that slapping discreet cameras on people's faces is, you know, maybe not a great idea.
HateAid claims that Meta's smart glasses breach German privacy laws: specifically, the Telecommunications, Digital Services and Data Protection Act. It argues that selling the devices is a criminal offense because of their covert recording capabilities.
The nonprofit also wants restrictions on where the glasses can record, similar to rules for dashcams and bodycams. The complaint targets Meta, eyewear partners Ray-Ban and Oakley and several retailers.
A Meta spokesperson told Politico EU, which first reported the story, that its smart glasses were "built with privacy safeguards from the ground up that go beyond what any smartphone offers." The glasses do have an LED that flashes while recording, along with software that blocks camera use if it detects LED tampering, like a piece of electrical tape. However, several companies have begun selling aftermarket accessories designed to block the light without triggering Meta's safeguards. Let the arms race commence.