PARIS: French prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into suspected sexual harassment carried out with smart glasses, as governments and privacy watchdogs worldwide raise alarms about the devices' potential for abuse.
The probe by the Paris prosecutor's office follows complaints tied to a social media trend in which men used camera-equipped smart glasses to secretly film women on the street and post the footage online without consent, the office told Reuters. Prosecutors did not identify which brand of glasses was involved but said their cybercrime unit tested the devices two weeks ago to better understand how they could be misused.
Meta's smart glasses, produced in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, dominate the global market with roughly a 76% share. The AI-enabled devices, which feature a small hidden camera, sold 7 million units last year, and EssilorLuxottica has reported accelerating sales growth into 2026.
The scrutiny extends beyond France. Some cinemas in the United Kingdom have banned the glasses, and a German consumer advocacy group has filed a criminal complaint against Meta and other sellers over alleged privacy violations.
Australia said Thursday it is weighing a ban on camera-equipped smart glasses in government workplaces, citing privacy and security concerns, a move it said would be the first of its kind.
In France, the data protection authority CNIL said it has fielded fewer than 10 complaints about the glasses being used in workplaces and is increasingly hearing from employers asking whether they can prohibit the devices.
Nacera Bekhat, CNIL's head of economic affairs, said the technology creates genuine difficulties in ensuring people know they are being recorded and in obtaining consent.
Under French law, recording someone in a private setting without consent can carry penalties of up to a year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros, or about $51,700. But legal experts, including those at CNIL, said enforcement is complicated by how quickly recorded content can spread online.
The glasses include a small indicator light that turns on while filming, but advocates argue that mechanism unfairly shifts the burden onto potential subjects rather than the people recording them. Ines Legendre, a legal expert with the internet safety group e-Enfance, said noticing the light does not equate to consenting to being filmed or having one's image shared widely.
Rights groups say women are disproportionately targeted by abuse involving the devices. Ines Girard, who works on technology-facilitated gender-based violence at the feminist organization Hubertine Auclert, said the burden should not fall on potential victims to protect themselves from a surveillance tool.
She said the expectation places extra pressure on women, gender minorities and others who already face heightened harassment and scrutiny in public.
A Meta spokesperson said the company has built privacy protections into its AI glasses from the outset and will continue strengthening safeguards as the devices gain new capabilities. EssilorLuxottica declined to comment.
The devices fall under European Union rules including the AI Act and the General Data Protection Regulation, which govern the handling of personal data.
