Meta’s recent collaboration with renowned celebrity Kylie Jenner aimed to promote its innovative new line of “spy glasses,” with the company aspiring for these devices to gain the same widespread acceptance as tablets and smartwatches have achieved in the past. However, this initiative has encountered challenges in the UK, where various establishments, ranging from high-end restaurants to popular pub chains, have prohibited the £359 glasses to protect the privacy of their patrons and staff.
Jeremy King, a prominent restaurateur and owner of celebrated London establishments like Simpsons in the Strand, Arlington, and The Park, expressed strong opposition to the use of recording glasses by guests. He stated to the Guardian, “I would never knowingly allow any invasion of guest privacy other than with the eyes we were born with.”
Additionally, patrons at Soho House’s exclusive members’ clubs may also be requested to remove these glasses, as a spokesperson confirmed that filming is not permitted within their venues, without exception. Even the pub chain Wetherspoons has taken a stance against the use of these recording devices on its premises.
Tim Martin, Wetherspoons’ chief executive, articulated the company’s policy, saying, “The general code that applies in our pubs, and most pubs, is that you can’t film customers or employees without their permission. Meta glasses seem to breach this code, and common sense, by enabling surreptitious surveillance, so our instinct is to say turn off the cameras. This is akin to our efforts to stop audible playing of videos in our pubs, which also invades people’s space.”
Theatre-goers may also face restrictions when attempting to wear the Meta glasses, as ATG Theatres, which operates venues like the Bristol Hippodrome and the Edinburgh Playhouse, has stated that filming is not allowed, and those wearing the glasses will be asked to remove them during performances.
The glasses, which resemble typical eyewear, feature a stylish cat-eye design created by Jenner, complete with small embedded cameras. Meta aims for this design to enable users to remain “in the moment” rather than constantly checking their smartphones.
Concerns have emerged regarding the potential misuse of the glasses for recording individuals without their consent, with footage possibly being shared on social media. Although Meta highlights a small, flashing LED light that activates when filming, there have been several reports of individuals being recorded without their knowledge. In one case, a woman recounted to the BBC that a man filmed her and subsequently demanded payment to remove the videos from social media. Another woman shared her experience of being recorded during intimate moments without her consent.
In response, Instagram has taken measures to eliminate non-consensual videos captured using the glasses from its platform. Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated, “If you’re posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them, like a lot of these pickup line kind of videos that we’ve heard of and seen, then we’re going to take the content down.”
Despite these challenges, Meta is striving to normalize the use of its glasses, even distributing free pairs to influential social media figures. Sales of the devices have surged, tripling over the past year, with over 7 million units sold globally.
Interestingly, there are some venues in the UK that welcome these seven million users and their glasses. Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, who operates pubs and restaurants in Marlow, expressed his support, telling the Guardian, “I have no problem whatsoever with them. Filming is part of everyday life now. In fact, I think that they can be used in creative and exciting ways. The first thought about them shouldn’t be negative!”
A Meta spokesperson added, “People use our glasses because they’re genuinely helpful—from listening to music to live translation or hands-free calls. For those wearing them and the people around them, trust matters. That’s why we built privacy into our AI glasses from the ground up. For example, every pair has a capture LED that blinks when you take a photo or video that you can save or share; it can’t be turned off, and if someone covers or damages the LED, the camera is disabled.”
