Dutch privacy groups seek injunction over Meta AI glasses sales

Two Dutch privacy organisations, Offlimits and The Firewall, are seeking a court injunction to stop Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses from being sold in the Netherlands. The groups say the glasses make it easy to photograph or record people without their knowledge or consent.

The organisations said they demanded that Meta withdraw the product from the Dutch market, but the deadline passed without the glasses being removed. They are now pursuing court proceedings, with a hearing date expected to be announced.

Meta developed the glasses with eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica. The devices include cameras, microphones, speakers and artificial intelligence features, and can be used to take photographs and record video.

Offlimits and The Firewall say the glasses could be misused for covert filming in public and private settings. They have raised concerns about recordings of women and children, and about material being shared online or processed by artificial intelligence systems.

Meta has defended the glasses’ built-in recording indicators and said the products will remain available. The Dutch Data Protection Authority warned in September that identifiable images recorded with camera glasses cannot be shared, published or used for other purposes without meeting privacy requirements.