Overview
- Wetherspoon has told customers to turn off the recording function on Meta smart glasses before entering any of its more than 800 pubs, citing a rule against filming customers or staff without consent.
- The chain said the glasses enable surreptitious surveillance and compared the policy to other rules that protect patrons’ space, such as stopping audible videos in venues.
- Meta says the glasses include a capture LED that lights when a photo or video is taken and that covering the LED disables the camera, and the company has issued firmware and technical safeguards to prevent tampering.
- Other hospitality and cultural operators, including Soho House, restaurateur Jeremy King and several theatres, have also barred the devices, while event organisers and some schools previously banned the glasses after reports of secret filming.
- Advocacy groups and victims say the devices have been used to film people without consent, raising safety concerns and leaving unresolved enforcement and regulatory questions about privacy, evidence handling and platform takedowns.