Meta sued over privacy risks in Ray-Ban smart glasses
Meta (the company behind Facebook and Instagram) is being sued for allegedly misleading users about the privacy of its Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco on March 5, 2026, claims Meta didn't tell buyers that private footage from the glasses could be reviewed and annotated by human contractors;
a Swedish investigation reported subcontracted data annotators in Nairobi, Kenya, could have been viewing footage to train AI—leading to major backlash.
Meta's slogans don't match up with actual practices
The complaint points out that Meta's slogans like "designed for privacy, controlled by you" don't match up with actual practices.
As the lawsuit puts it: "No reasonable consumer would understand" these promises to mean strangers overseas might see personal moments recorded at home.
Critics say this doesn't explain why outside workers need to review clips
Meta admits contractors could access footage but says videos stay on your device unless you share them.
Still, critics say this doesn't explain why outside workers need to review such clips at all.
The suit also warns this kind of access could lead to emotional distress or even risks like stalking and extortion.
Legal scrutiny has ramped up
Legal scrutiny has ramped up. A judge reportedly warned that anyone using the glasses to record in court would be held in contempt during Mark Zuckerberg's testimony, warning they could break rules if used to record.
Some have raised concerns about facial recognition features in these devices.