Campaigners are calling for a ban on Meta's AI-powered glasses as concerns continue to grow over their impact on women's safety across the London Underground network. Sexual offences on the Tube reached a five-year high in December last year, with Tube carriages and train stations becoming hotspots for violence and harassment against women. As many as 58% of these incidents take place directly inside the carriage, while an overwhelming 99% of upskirting victims are women, according to a 2026 study using British Transport Police data. Campaigners argue that the existing problem could be exacerbated by the controversial smart specs, with Liz Hunter from Stop Smart Glasses stating that "public transport, trains, buses, and night buses, can already be frightening for women," but that AI glasses open the floodgates to a plethora of abuse and exploitation.
AI Smart Glasses have experienced significant market growth since Meta launched the Ray-Ban Meta glasses in October 2023, according to reports from NDTV Profit. These sophisticated devices can record, process and store video and audio footage in real time, acting as sophisticated AI-integrated smart devices. However, this emerging technology has brought with it substantial concerns regarding data privacy for both individuals and businesses, with the devices' covert filming ability being a primary concern to campaigners who argue it is a way of "encouraging and facilitating violence against vulnerable people."
The use of AI Smart Glasses in corporate environments poses significant risks beyond simple filming without consent, as reported by cybersecurity experts. Harish Kumar of Quick Heal Technologies noted that the device's always-available cameras, microphones, AI transcription, object recognition, and cloud uploads can make data collection "continuous and difficult" for others to notice. "That is particularly concerning in workplaces where there is an imbalance of power, such as monitoring frontline staff, recording customer interactions, or capturing informal conversations without meaningful consent," he stated. Ashok Kumar of RAH Infotech warned that even without malicious intent, companies deploying these devices for operational efficiency might accidentally collect massive amounts of biometric data from employees and visitors. Features such as facial recognition, real-time transcription and location mapping can easily morph into surveillance tools, potentially creating legal liability under frameworks like India's DPDP Act.
Recent reports from Swedish newspapers Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet have revealed concerning practices regarding user data access. Contractors employed by Sama, a Nairobi-based outsourcing firm working with Meta, were tasked with annotating user-generated content to train AI systems, including labelling images, transcribing audio and evaluating how Meta's AI assistant responds to user prompts. According to the reports, contractors accessed highly intimate recordings, with one worker stating "In some videos, you can see someone going to the toilet or getting undressed. I don't think they know, because if they knew they wouldn't be recording." AI Smart Glasses connected to cloud systems run the risk of transmitting personal data to outside parties, with Ashok Kumar explaining that devices relying on cloud-based AI naturally expose data to external servers where it often becomes training material for large language models.
Stop Smart Glasses has launched a petition to ban the sale and promotion of smart glasses, which has garnered 8,000 signatures in three months. A TfL spokesperson stated that "Anyone using any device on our network must do so in a way that complies with the law. We do not tolerate any form of harassment on our network, and encourage customers to report any behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable to us or to the police." However, it is understood that TfL has no plans to restrict the use of specific devices on its network. Meta has maintained that the white light on its glasses blinks to indicate recording, with the company stating that users should stop recording if someone expresses discomfort, though campaigners argue this places vulnerable victims into confrontation. Cybersecurity experts recommend implementing "ironclad" governance systems around such wearables, mandating explicit, opt-in consent with strict defined use cases, and routinely undertaking audits to ensure no passive harvesting of employee data.
