Meta faces lawsuit over privacy concerns linked to AI smart glasses
A new lawsuit in the United States alleges that Meta misled consumers about privacy protections in its AI-powered smart glasses after reports that human reviewers accessed sensitive user footage.
Meta is facing a privacy lawsuit in the United States over allegations that footage captured by its AI-powered smart glasses was reviewed by human workers, including content containing sensitive personal information.
The case follows reports by Swedish newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten, which said employees at a subcontractor in Kenya reviewed video and image data collected through the glasses. According to the reports, some of the material included highly private situations such as nudity, people in bathrooms, financial information, and personal messages.
The lawsuit was filed by two US plaintiffs, Mateo Canu of California and Gina Bartone of New Jersey. The complaint alleges that Meta’s marketing claims, including statements suggesting the glasses are “designed for privacy,” may mislead users about how their data is processed.
The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has also opened an investigation into the issue following the media reports.
Meta has stated that some user content may be reviewed by human contractors to help improve AI systems. The company says it takes steps to filter data and protect users’ identities during this process.
The case also names Luxottica of America, the manufacturer of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and raises broader concerns about the privacy implications of wearable devices that continuously capture images and video.
The lawsuit comes amid growing scrutiny of AI-enabled consumer devices, sometimes described as ‘smart’ or ‘ambient’ technologies, which can record and analyse data about users and their surroundings.
