The user reported that the "Respond without Hey Meta" setting was off and that the white notification light sometimes activated during normal speech.
The case adds to a growing set of privacy questions around Meta's AI-powered wearables, which the company has promoted as a central part of its hardware strategy. The glasses pair Ray-Ban frames with cameras, microphones, and on-device AI features, and the company has sold more than 7 million AI-powered smart glasses in 2025, according to Bloomberg [1][5].
User Reports and Company Response
The original Reddit user said Meta support recommended disabling microphone and camera permissions, turning off Wear Detection, deleting voice history, and disabling automatic updates [5].
Meta responded to the Reddit post but did not provide details on what caused the recordings or why they occurred [5].
The lack of technical detail has left open questions about the scope of the problem. Meta's public statement did not address whether the audio was processed locally or in the cloud.
Prior Privacy Incident and Data Labeling
In March 2026, contractors in Nairobi said they were paid to study hours of raw footage captured through Meta's "live AI" feature, according to reporting cited by Tech Spot. The contractors analyzed footage ranging from simple interactions to intimate moments [5].
The data labeling was intended to train Meta's computer vision systems, according to the report [2][5].
People recorded using bathrooms, getting dressed, and having sex may not have consented to the footage being reviewed, the report noted [2][5]. Meta has not publicly detailed safeguards for footage captured by its smart glasses in such settings. Privacy advocates have cited the incident as an example of risks associated with wearable cameras [3].
The earlier incident drew attention from civil society groups that have warned about facial recognition and other biometric features in Meta's glasses. A coalition of groups sounded the alarm over Meta's plan to embed facial recognition into its Ray-Ban smart glasses, with internal documents revealing that Meta acknowledged privacy risks while planning the strategic launch [2].
Meta later pulled facial recognition code from its smart glasses after an investigation by WIRED [4].
Regulatory Actions and Legal Risk
Norway is considering a temporary ban on smart glasses in parks, beaches, and schools, officials said [5].
Courts in the United States and elsewhere have banned smart glasses from courtrooms, according to court notices and media reports.
The Reddit user's potential class-action inquiry is at an early stage, and no lawsuit has been confirmed. More than 70 people who bought, used, or were recorded by Meta smart glasses have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the company in federal court in Northern California, according to court records amended in late August [3]. That suit alleges that intimate images were captured without consent.
Meta's support response advised users to delete voice history and disable automatic updates, steps that privacy researchers say may limit further recordings [5]. The company has not announced additional privacy changes beyond its existing settings options.
The incident underscores persistent concerns about always-on sensors in consumer devices. As Meta expands its AI wearables line, the balance between convenience and privacy remains a subject of regulatory and legal attention.
References
- Meta's Surveillance Glasses: Big Tech's $30 Billion Bet on Total Privacy Erosion - NaturalNews.com, August 24, 2026.
- We see everything: Meta's Ray-Ban glasses are recording your most private moments - NaturalNews.com, April 09, 2026.
- Meta Smart Glasses Face Lawsuits Over Intimate Images, Privacy Claims - NaturalNews.com, September 22, 2026.
- Meta pulls facial recognition code from smart glasses after investigation - NaturalNews.com, June 14, 2026.
- Meta's smart glasses were recording conversations without the wake phrase, company admits. https://www.techspot.com/news/114214-meta-smart-glasses-secretly-recording-conversations-without-wake.html
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