London restricts smart glasses over privacy concerns — Asharq Al-Awsat

In London, United Kingdom, bars, restaurants, theatres and public institutions have begun restricting or banning the use of smart glasses with cameras. The reason is concerns about the potential covert recording of people in public places. Such devices can record video and audio, as well as take photographs from the perspective of the person wearing them.

As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing CNN, the spread on social media of videos published without the knowledge of people appearing in them has intensified the debate over consent to recording and the ability of existing privacy rules to keep pace with new technologies. In particular, videos have appeared online in which men allegedly filmed women without their knowledge.

Restrictions in establishments and courts

The Wetherspoons pub chain has banned visitors from recording with such glasses. A company representative told CNN that, regarding Meta glasses, the establishments' policy was to turn off the cameras. A visitor to a Wetherspoons pub in central London told the channel that he did not want to appear in videos while relaxing and called covering the recording indicator on the glasses unacceptable.

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According to the outlet, a ban on the use of smart glasses in courtrooms has been in force in the United Kingdom since August. Advertisements against such devices have also appeared at some London bus stops.

Popularity of the technology

Smart glasses make it possible to listen to music, take calls and take photographs hands-free. Technology companies also view them as a possible way of interacting with artificial intelligence-based assistants.

Eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, which collaborates with Meta, reported sales of 7 million pairs of artificial intelligence glasses in 2025. According to The Information, Meta may unveil new smart glasses without cameras this week, while Samsung and Google are expected to present jointly developed devices in the autumn.