Smart Glasses Sales Surge Even as Privacy Concerns Mount

BBC Business reported Tuesday that smart glasses are drawing serious privacy criticism even as the market accelerates sharply, with several of the world’s largest technology companies lining up to launch competing products.

Meta Dominates a Fast-Growing Category

Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses currently command more than 80% of all AI glasses sales. The company has now shipped seven million pairs, according to its own figures. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the product as among the fastest-growing consumer electronics in history. The glasses, built with EssilorLuxottica, feature a near-invisible camera, small frame-mounted speakers, and a light touchpad to trigger recordings. That camera’s low profile sits at the heart of most complaints.

Smart Glasses Privacy Backlash Intensifies

Reports have emerged of women being secretly filmed in public by wearers using the glasses to capture video without disclosure. Victims said they often only discovered footage of themselves after clips spread online. One woman told BBC Business she was asked to pay a fee before the person who posted her video would remove it. Legal options remain limited since recording in public spaces is broadly permitted in most jurisdictions. Separately, workers in Kenya hired to review footage for Meta’s AI training said they were exposed to graphic content, prompting two lawsuits from glasses owners. Meta has maintained that its terms of service disclose the possibility of video review.

A Decade of Setbacks Hasn’t Dampened Big Tech’s Appetite

The smart glasses category has a troubled history. Google launched its original Glass product publicly in 2014, only to withdraw it within two years after the device became a symbol of surveillance anxiety and social friction. Now Google is preparing a second attempt. Snap is set to release a new version of its Spectacles hardware this year. Apple is also reportedly developing its own smart glasses, possibly targeting a launch as soon as 2027.

Real Users See Practical Value

Not everyone views smart glasses through a purely critical lens. Mark Smith, a partner at advisory firm ISG focused on enterprise software, told BBC Business he wears his Meta Ray-Bans daily. He values them for hands-free listening while doing household tasks, easier phone calls, and quick travel photography. Smith acknowledged that the recording indicator light is hard to spot in daylight and that most people around him assume he is wearing ordinary eyewear.

Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton told BBC Business the company works to limit misuse but argued that responsibility ultimately rests with individual users.

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