US police fear covert recording with Meta glasses
US law enforcement agencies have increased scrutiny of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses over the risk of covert recording in police stations and detention facilities. In January, the New York Police Department's counterterrorism unit circulated an internal memo describing such devices as a potential security and counterintelligence threat, The Guardian World reports.
The document instructed officers to carefully inspect all glasses that are permitted to remain in detainees' cells. Police fear that built-in cameras and microphones could be used to film cell layouts, the placement of surveillance cameras, patrol routes and facility security procedures.
Recordings in detention facilities
The publication reviewed about a dozen previously undisclosed documents indicating concerns among US law enforcement agencies from Maine to California. They fear that smart glasses could be used both to secretly record staff and premises and to facilitate crimes or terrorist attacks.
One video published on TikTok in July 2025 was filmed at a detention center in South Carolina. The footage shows a shower room, holding cells, a crowded dining hall and other detainees. The facility had previously been the subject of a federal investigation over unsafe detention conditions.
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In US detention facilities, devices capable of recording video are generally confiscated. At the same time, Meta glasses may resemble regular Ray-Ban or Oakley models. A Meta spokesperson said that every pair has a bright white LED that flashes during photo or video recording, cannot be turned off, and that tampering with it disables the camera.
Concerns about reconnaissance before attacks
Law enforcement agencies also warn about the possible use of the glasses for reconnaissance before violent acts. A New York police memo from January 2025 mentioned the New Orleans attack on New Year's Day, when a man drove a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. Fourteen people were killed and another 35 were injured.
According to the FBI, the attacker rode a bicycle along Bourbon Street twice in late 2024 while wearing smart glasses and may have been conducting pre-attack reconnaissance of the target. Police were advised to watch for people behaving suspiciously who may be wearing such devices.
The concerns have also extended to federal institutions. In August, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in an internal memo that smart glasses are equivalent to body cameras and therefore cannot be worn in federal workspaces because of the risk of unintentional recording or transmission of confidential information.
