Meta was among the pioneers in popularizing smart glasses, largely due to its collaboration with Ray-Ban. However, concerns about user privacy—that Meta allegedly spies on its users—seriously undermined its hardware projects. Former associates have alleged that Meta records and saves everything users view through the Meta Ray-Ban glasses, from everyday activities to private moments.
Sama asserts that Meta is watching.
This assertion originates from Sama, an AI firm based in Kenya that has been allied with Meta since 2017. Sama’s role involves annotating and validating a large amount of data to aid in training AI and machine learning models. During their partnership, Sama provided moderation services to Meta, though this aspect is no longer part of their current offerings.
A lawsuit was filed against Meta in the summer of 2022, addressing issues such as poor working conditions, unfair wages, inadequate mental health support, and breaches of employee privacy. Employees in the moderation role were required to filter unsettling content, which included serious crimes and disturbing instances. Even after these revelations, the collaboration persisted for several more years until this year.
In April 2026, Sama employees raised new concerns after encountering sensitive footage recorded by users’ Meta Ray-Ban glasses. While this footage wasn’t as graphic as previous examples, it still showed users in private settings, such as bathrooms and bedrooms during intimate moments.
After these alarming disclosures surfaced, Meta ended its partnership with Sama, leading to significant layoffs affecting over 1,000 employees due to financial constraints.
The most troubling aspects
Frankly, pinpointing the most troubling part of this episode is challenging. Is it Meta’s apparent indifference to Sama’s staff? The unsettling content that needs human review found on Meta’s platform? Or the fact Sama continued its partnership under such adverse conditions?
It’s all disheartening. Technically speaking, it’s particularly troubling that Meta Ray-Ban glasses were capable of capturing footage and automatically uploading it to Meta’s servers without user knowledge. This situation raises serious privacy violations and contradicts Meta’s claims that users have control over their data.
Clearly, that’s not the reality.
Meta’s privacy policy
There’s a marked disconnect between Meta’s marketing claims and its actual privacy policies. The official policy states that user-generated content might be reviewed to address harmful or illegal activities, which could include sensitive imagery. It asserts:
Meta products are built to ensure the safety and security of users and services. We may process information linked to you using both automated and manual review processes.
Additionally, a section specifically related to smart glasses like Meta Ray-Ban states:
You may capture photos and videos with audio. Media processing occurs if you enable cloud processing on the glasses or upload to Meta services, which you can configure at any time.
This implies that when cloud processing is active, videos may be processed on Meta’s servers, which complicates privacy concerns. Although the policy mentions human review, it mainly pertains to VR products and does not clearly extend to the footage from Meta Ray-Ban glasses. Yet, Sama claims the contrary.
Maybe you’re wary of having a camera on your face.
The public’s feelings toward smart glasses tend to be mixed. On one hand, such technology has the potential to enhance safety, but on another, it risks being a tool for widespread surveillance. It seems Meta leans toward the latter possibility, even if that’s unspoken.
The takeaway is straightforward: Meta Ray-Ban glasses cannot be trusted. They may record everything in sight, with that data accessible by contractors and Meta staff.
This revelation shouldn’t surprise those familiar with Meta’s history of privacy issues, from questionable practices related to WhatsApp’s encryption to the Onavo Protect VPN scandal.
In essence, Meta Ray-Ban poses substantial privacy risks not only to users but also to those around them. This dilemma echoes concerns raised previously with Google Glass, and as augmented reality glasses gain popularity once more, privacy remains at heightened risk.
