Meta's "Pervert Glasses": The Global Backlash Against Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Over Covert Recording

Venue Restrictions Across the UK

A wide range of UK hospitality and entertainment venues have banned or restricted Meta's smart glasses:

• Wetherspoons (the UK's largest pub chain, with over 800 venues) banned filming with Meta glasses inside its pubs, saying it enables "surreptitious recording" of customers and staff .
• Soho House extended its filming ban to cover the glasses and may ask members to remove them .
• London restaurateur Jeremy King told diners not to wear the recording glasses inside his venues .
• Theatres and other venues have also joined the growing list of establishments prohibiting the devices .

Covert Recording Concerns and LED Indicator Issues

BBC News reported that women are routinely approached by men wearing Meta's Ray-Bans to film their responses to pick-up lines without knowledge or consent . A core concern is that the recording LED indicator can be disabled or is not obvious enough, making the glasses nearly indistinguishable from ordinary eyewear . German regulators have specifically argued that the glasses violate laws against hidden recording devices .

Meta's Response

Meta has stated that built-in privacy safeguards are in place to prevent surreptitious filming, including a visible LED light when recording . The company reported that approximately 7 million units were sold in 2025 . In July 2026, Meta also patched a loophole that let modders disable the recording LED, updating its smart glasses to shut off the camera if the light is physically tampered with or destroyed .

Public Backlash — "Nearby Glasses" App and "Pervert Glasses"

• "Nearby Glasses" detection app: In February 2026, developer Yves Jeanrenaud launched a free Android app called "Nearby Glasses" that scans for Bluetooth Low Energy signals from Meta, Snap, and other smart glasses and alerts users when a device is nearby. It quickly topped app charts . Copycat apps have since emerged .
• "Pervert glasses" moniker: The devices have been widely dubbed "pervert glasses" online due to their use for non-consensual recording of women in public .

Key uncertainty: While the HMCTS court ban in England and Wales is confirmed, it remains unclear whether other UK nations (Scotland, Northern Ireland) will follow. The German criminal complaint has been filed but no conviction or sales ban has yet been ordered. The Federal Network Agency is actively reviewing a nationwide ban on sales .