Kenyan subcontractors have been reviewing intimate, unanonymized footage captured by Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. That, at least, is what a joint investigation by two Swedish newspapers claimed yesterday. The footage includes users in bathrooms, undressing, watching pornography, and having sex. Credit card details are visible in some recordings, too.

Meta collects the footage when users press a physical button on the glasses or use the "Hey Meta" voice command to activate the AI assistant. Cameras and microphones remain active even when the glasses are removed from the wearer's face -- sitting on a nightstand, a bathroom counter, a living room table.

This expose comes against the backdrop of Meta's biggest hardware success in years -- over 7 million units in 2025, 73% of the global smart glasses market. Meta also plans to introduce facial recognition soon, with a "Name Tag" feature that identifies people on your smart glasses.

1. This Is Exactly What Happens With Such Devices (EPIC, ACLU)

Seven million cameras on people's faces, always-on microphones, intimate footage shipped to overseas contractors, and facial recognition coming next -- the privacy community's worst-case scenario is already here.

We gotta stop Meta's facial recognition technology. The Electronic Privacy Information Center didn't need the Swedish report; in February 2026, after the New York Times revealed Meta's facial recognition plans, EPIC sent letters to the Federal Trade Commission and state law enforcement -- urging them to investigate and prevent the feature's release.

Everyday face-recognition technology poses a dire threat to everyone's privacy. The ACLU has been sounding the alarm. It points to the EU's GDPR, which says that biometric data requires explicit consent and strict safeguards. A consumer device that identifies people in public would likely struggle to meet those standards. Privacy groups also point out that facial recognition accuracy varies across demographic groups, which could lead to embarrassing or harmful misidentifications.

Meta's own internal documents acknowledge the risk. Since early 2025, internal memos have flagged "safety and privacy risks" associated with facial recognition on smart glasses. Meta shelved the feature in 2021 over "technical challenges and ethical concerns." Now it's back.

The "Name Tag" feature itself is framed narrowly, but the infrastructure isn't. Meta says the feature would only recognize people in your contacts -- not universal facial recognition on the street. But the hardware capability is the same either way: a camera on your face, a neural engine processing what it sees, and a pipeline that already sends footage to overseas subcontractors for annotation.

2. The Market Doesn't Care (Counterpoint Research, EssilorLuxottica)

Seven million units sold, 73% market share, Apple scrambling to catch up, and production doubling to 20 million. In other words, the demand doesn't care about privacy.

The sales numbers speak for themselves. Over 7 million Ray-Ban Meta glasses sold in 2025, more than triple the prior two years combined. Global smart glasses shipments grew 110% year-over-year in the first half of 2025. AI-enabled smart glasses models represented 78% of all smart glasses shipped. Meta and EssilorLuxottica are discussing doubling production to at least 20 million units by end of 2026 to meet demand.

Apple's response tells you who's winning. Apple paused a planned overhaul of its Vision Pro headset to redirect resources toward developing smart glasses. Apple is developing two smart glasses models -- one without a display that pairs with an iPhone, and another with integrated screens -- hoping to unveil the first as early as 2026. When Apple abandons its flagship mixed-reality product to copy your budget device, you're defining the category.

The market forecast backs Meta's bet. The global AR market was valued at $120 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach over $1 trillion by 2033. The smart glasses segment is expected to grow at over 38% annually. Yole Group calls 2026 the inflection point where "technical maturity, ecosystem support, and consumer readiness converge." Meta's 73% market share puts it in position to capture most of that growth.

3. Thank Trump for All This (New York Times)

The company shelved facial recognition in 2021, then revived it when the political environment shifted. That timing isn't a coincidence.

Meta first considered adding facial recognition to Ray-Ban glasses in 2021, then dropped the plans over "technical challenges and ethical concerns." Internal discussions about reviving the feature have been ongoing since early 2025. The New York Times reported that Meta waited to announce the plans until the Trump administration was "closer to Big Tech."

Meta has a controversial history with facial recognition -- it paid billions to settle allegations that it collected users' facial data without permission. A feature that would have drawn aggressive FTC scrutiny under the Biden administration faces a different regulatory environment in 2026.

Where This Lands

Meta is building the most successful consumer surveillance device in history, and the market is rewarding it. Seven million units sold. Production doubling. Apple pivoting to compete. The Swedish investigation shows what's already happening with the data -- intimate footage in the hands of overseas annotators, blurring that doesn't work, cameras that don't turn off. The facial recognition plans show where it's going. Privacy advocates have been warning about this exact scenario for years. Consumers have been answering by buying 110% more glasses each year. Both things can be true at the same time.

Sources