‘I’m not spying’: how Meta’s smartglasses have divided opinion

While some users say the wearables have changed their lives, critics voice fears over safety and privacy With more than 7m pairs reportedly sold in 2025, Meta’s Ray-Ban smartglasses are fast becoming one of the world’s most popular gadgets. While supporters say they are transforming photography and accessibility, critics have raised concerns about nonconsensual filming, privacy and data collection. We spoke to users, and people who refuse to wear them, about the impact the glasses have had. Based in The Hague in the Netherlands, Servaas wears his Meta glasses every day. He bought them for the built-in camera rather than the AI features and uses them to photograph and film walks and bike rides. “It’s an immersive experience,” he says. “I love everything tech and have done my whole life.” He says the discreet camera means most people don’t realise he is wearing smartglasses, although he was once stopped by security at an event held in a government building because staff feared he might be recording. “For some reason, security didn’t understand. They were very scared of them [the glasses]. People said I should have expected that but I didn’t agree with them becau