Meta is facing a new lawsuit in the United States alleging that its AI-powered smart glasses misled consumers about privacy protections after reports that contractors reviewed sensitive user footage. The legal complaint follows an investigation by Swedish newspapers that found workers at a Kenya-based subcontractor reviewing videos captured by customers’ glasses.
According to the reports, the footage reviewed by workers included private situations such as nudity, sexual activity, and people using the toilet.
Investigation Raises Questions About Data Handling
The investigation said the contractors reviewing the footage were involved in evaluating content captured by the glasses.
Meta has said the company attempts to blur faces in images before review. However, sources cited in the investigation said the blurring did not always work consistently.
The findings prompted the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office to begin examining the issue.
Consumers File Privacy And Advertising Claims
The U.S. lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs Gina Bartone of New Jersey and Mateo Canu of California. They are represented by Clarkson Law Firm, which focuses on public-interest litigation.
The complaint alleges that Meta violated privacy laws and engaged in misleading advertising related to the glasses.
According to the filing, Meta promoted the devices using marketing language that emphasized privacy protections.
The lawsuit cites statements including “designed for privacy, controlled by you” and “built for your privacy.”
The plaintiffs say those claims did not suggest that footage recorded by the glasses could be reviewed by overseas contractors.
They also said they did not see disclaimers that contradicted the privacy assurances used in Meta’s advertising.
The complaint names Meta and Luxottica of America, which manufactures the glasses, and alleges violations of consumer protection laws.
Contractor Reviews Linked To Product Improvement
Meta told the BBC that when users choose to share media with Meta AI, the company may use contractors to review the data in order to improve the product.
The company said this practice is described in its privacy policy and pointed to its Supplemental Meta Platforms Terms of Service.
The BBC reported that a reference to human review appears in Meta’s United Kingdom AI terms of service.
A version of the policy used in the United States states: “In some cases, Meta will review your interactions with AIs, including the content of your conversations with or messages to AIs, and this review may be automated or manual (human).”
Complaint Focuses On Product Marketing
The lawsuit emphasizes how the glasses were marketed to consumers.
It includes examples of advertisements describing privacy settings and an “added layer of security.”
One advertisement stated: “You’re in control of your data and content,” explaining that users could decide what content was shared.
The plaintiffs argue that those claims created expectations that private recordings would remain confidential.
Clarkson Law Firm also pointed to the scale of the product’s adoption. According to the complaint, more than seven million people purchased Meta’s smart glasses in 2025.
The filing states that once media is shared with Meta AI it enters a data pipeline for review and that users cannot opt out of that process.
Meta Responds To Privacy Concerns
However, company spokesperson Christopher Sgro provided a statement addressing how the glasses handle user data.
“Ray-Ban Meta glasses help you use AI, hands-free, to answer questions about the world around you,” Sgro said.
“Unless users choose to share media they’ve captured with Meta or others, that media stays on the user’s device. When people share content with Meta AI, we sometimes use contractors to review this data for the purpose of improving people’s experience, as many other companies do.”
He added that the company takes steps to filter data to help protect privacy and prevent identifying information from being reviewed.
Growing Debate Over Always-On Devices
Devices capable of recording audio and video continuously have prompted wider debates about privacy.
Smart glasses and other products, including AI-powered wearable pendants that continuously listen for commands, have drawn criticism from privacy advocates.
In response to those concerns, one developer recently created an application designed to detect when smart glasses are nearby.
Featured image credits: Pexels
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