Meta AI smart glasses footage reviewed by overseas contractors, lawsuit filed
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Meta is facing fresh scrutiny over privacy concerns linked to its AI-powered smart glasses after reports that sensitive user content was reviewed by human data annotators overseas.
The controversy, first reported by Swedish newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten, has triggered a class action lawsuit in the United States accusing Meta of violating consumer privacy through its AI-enabled smart glasses developed with Ray Ban parent EssilorLuxottica.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office is also investigating the company over the issue.
Meta’s Ray Ban AI glasses have grown rapidly in popularity. Reports estimate that about seven million people purchased the device in 2025, compared with a combined two million users in 2023 and 2024.
The glasses allow users to record first-person video and audio through built-in cameras and microphones and analyse surroundings using Meta’s AI system. A privacy indicator light turns on when recording, but some users say the light can be difficult to notice in bright or crowded environments.
The investigation reported that third-party contractors based in Nairobi, Kenya, were reviewing footage collected by the glasses as part of data labelling used to train AI models. Some contractors said they saw highly sensitive material, including people using the toilet, changing clothes, viewing pornography, and recording sexual activity. Workers also reported seeing images of bank cards and other private information.
The lawsuit filed by Gina Bartone of New Jersey and Mateo Canu of California claims Meta and EssilorLuxottica misled consumers with advertising that described the glasses as being designed for privacy and controlled by the user. The plaintiffs say they were not aware that footage could be reviewed by overseas contractors.
Meta said contractors review some content shared with its AI systems to improve the user experience. The company said faces are blurred before footage is reviewed and that such reviews occur only when users choose to share media with Meta’s AI tools.
