Employees in the U.S. are complaining about unwanted filming by Meta glasses
Retail and service industry workers, as well as service providers in the U.S., are reporting instances of unwanted filming and stalking using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. According to The Verge, visitors, customers, and managers can use devices with built-in cameras in the workplace, even though rules regarding such recording are often absent.
Target employee Toru Hinkle told the publication that two shoppers repeatedly asked for the price of an item even though they had already been given the answer. Later, Hinkle noticed the recording indicator on their glasses and realized they were filming him as a prank. According to the employee, the men also deliberately used incorrect gender pronouns when addressing Hinkle and the store manager. After another customer called the police, the visitors were escorted out of the store. The video was later posted on social media, and following an inquiry from The Verge, Instagram blocked the account that uploaded the video and removed the post.
A cashier at a tourist spot in Seattle, whom the publication identified only as Emily, said that on some days she sees up to ten people wearing smart glasses every hour. She is particularly concerned that it is difficult to tell which direction the camera is pointing when someone is wearing smart glasses, unlike a phone held in the hand. Emily fears that such recordings could be used to create content without people’s consent, particularly that of young women.
Another employee, Jennifer, quit her job at a Sprouts store in the Atlanta area after learning that her new manager wore Meta glasses. She reached out to HR requesting that formal rules regarding smart glasses be established, but, according to her, she was told to either accept these working conditions or leave. Sprouts did not respond to requests for comment from The Verge.
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Comedian Electra Telesford faced a similar situation. During her performance, she noticed glasses with flashing lights in the audience and asked the audience member to stop recording. After the audience member refused, Telesford cut her performance short and left the stage. According to her, the bar plans to warn the audience in the future about the ban on recording with Meta glasses.
Meta stated that it has built privacy protection mechanisms into its glasses: an LED indicator flashes when taking photos or recording video, and the company is implementing safeguards against interference with its operation. Meta spokesperson Dina El-Kassabi also reported that the company has begun blocking hashtags associated with content that may involve harassment and has removed thousands of posts in accordance with its anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies.
Woodrow Harzog, a law professor at Boston University, noted that protections for employees against being recorded in the workplace in the U.S. depend primarily on internal corporate policies. According to him, clear rules regarding the use of smart glasses are needed to protect both employees and customers. Some organizations have already implemented restrictions: in August, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement banned employees from wearing Meta glasses due to the risk of recording sensitive information.
