SMEX warns that while everyone's right to privacy is harmed by Meta glasses, the risks are still higher for some (such as activists, journalists, LGBTQ+ individuals), where privacy can be a matter of physical safety.
This statement was originally published on smex.org on 16 September 2026.
You’re sitting in a café, having a quiet conversation about work, politics, or your personal life.
At the table next to you, someone is wearing a pair of glasses. They may not be looking at you, but their glasses most certainly are. And suddenly, everything in the room is being processed by an AI tool. This is the “future” of surveillance!
Behind this trendy technology is a web of issues that deserve a much closer look, but upon that close inspection, you may want to look away entirely from this product.
“You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” “Answers everywhere you look, with Meta AI”, “Never miss a beat with open-ear audio,” (Discover the future with the Ray Ban Meta smart glasses)“تجمع بين الأناقة والتكنولوجيا الحديثة …“, “اكتشف المستقبل مع نظارات راي بان ميتا الذكية” (Joins elegance and modern technology).
This is how the Ray Ban x Meta glasses are being marketed to the public worldwide and in the SWANA region: as a mix between fashion and technology that will enable wearers to “never miss anything.” These are advanced camera-equipped devices able to record everything and everyone in real time.
You might be wondering why you should care
First, say goodbye to every last bit of privacy and boundaries you had. With these “smart” glasses, every move you make can be recorded, no matter where you are. You don’t have to be a public figure, you just have to exist in public.
And while everyone’s right to privacy is harmed by Meta glasses, the risks are still higher for some of us, where privacy can be a matter of physical safety.
If you’re an activist or a journalist, Meta glasses can help break down the barrier between your physical presence and your digital profile, making it easier to gather information on your work and background, and putting your personal safety at risk.
If you’re a woman, child, teenager, or LGBTQ+ individual, you’re now facing a bigger threat for stalking, harassment and malicious extortion. These glasses are weapons that can be used to harm you.
But how is that possible?
In the SWANA region, these “smart” glasses are more than merely a tech gadget because:
- The cameras recording inside the glasses are hard to detect, which makes the risk and chances of abuse very high.
- Legal measures to protect personal life/privacy and prevent surveillance are fragmented, weak, or nonexistent.
And yes, no matter how much they try to convince you that the LED light is effective and visible, in fact it is still very hard to detect and can be manipulated. In a region suffering from serious challenges such as the lack of clear legal frameworks, digital privacy intrusion, and the constant threat of targeted surveillance, these glasses are a big problem.
Our analysis done by SMEX technologist Ragheb Ghandour showed that these gadgets can track more than what a human eye can see. The Meta AI application is equipped with models for face detection, via facial recognition code “NameTag.” So if you’re passing by someone wearing Meta glasses while going about your day normally, you could be secretly recorded, and identified without ever having agreed to anything.
Why is it worse in our region?
When these global tech products are shipped to our region, they often ignore cultural settings and particular vulnerabilities. Global platforms have already applied unfair content moderation to our communities, and now, it’s time to face the deployment of surveillance devices that risk violating the right to privacy and freedom of expression.
The danger is not theoretical. The SWANA region is already the global hub of targeted digital surveillance. Our legal provisions and lawmakers are having difficulty keeping pace, often leaving civil society activists, women, journalists, and LGBTQ+ people vulnerable to extortion, stalking and surveillance. These hard-to-detect face camera glasses can lead to violence and repressive prosecution. For example, blackmailing LGBTQ+ individuals and threatening them, or gathering personal background information to target and harass protesters or activists during public demonstrations.
The false promise of clear detection
We’ve also tested the technical methods available to detect these glasses. Apps were introduced to help identify them (Nearby Glasses or BanRay), that can trace Bluetooth signals when the device is turned on. However, they are still not completely reliable.
This is particularly dangerous because the LED light can easily be circumvented. The white capture light is easy to miss. Using a simple, cheap hardware change, bad actors can turn it off completely, leaving no sign that a camera is recording.
You can usually find a hidden camera by shining a light at it and looking for a reflection from it (similar to how a cat’s eyes shine in the dark). However, Meta glasses are made to look just like regular sunglasses. They don’t give off that obvious reflection, so a hidden camera detector usually can’t tell them apart from normal glasses.
These glasses use two different wireless signals to connect to a phone. They use Bluetooth for small commands, and WiFi only when sending a video they have already recorded. Because the glasses record quietly first, there is no active WiFi signal while the person is recording. By the time you notice a WiFi signal, the recording is already done and being sent to the phone, so it is too late to stop it.
So what can we do with these emerging new gadgets?
- Introduce no recording policies and prohibit smart glasses in certain areas, like bathrooms, mosques or churches, and schools.
- Spread awareness and teach communities the risks of these tools, “deinfluencing” them from buying and marketing those glasses.
- Finally, we need to push lawmakers to create clear and enforceable laws that address these risks and protect people’s privacy.
Stay informed, protect yourself, and make sure tech companies are held accountable for the tools they introduce into our communities. And if you have been targeted for blackmail or other forms of digital attacks, please, reach out to SMEX’s Digital Safety Helpdesk through:
- WhatsApp/Signal: +961 81 633 133
- Email: [email protected]
We are currently working on a report with our full technical findings. Subscribe to our newsletter, #TheByte to be the first to know about it!
