Senators Demand Answers Over Meta Smart Glasses Privacy

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey have sent a letter to Meta demanding the company explain the privacy risks associated with its smart glasses, as 404 Media first reported. The inquiry follows a 404 Media investigation from October 2025 which found that influencers used the glasses to film and harass massage parlor workers, uploading the footage to Instagram accounts that garnered millions of views.

Wyden and Markey's letter highlights concerns that Meta uses imagery processed by the glasses' visual AI to train its systems, sometimes utilizing human reviewers. The senators argue that retaining such material for commercial benefit exploits sensitive information from bystanders who never consented to be filmed. This follows reports from Swedish journalists that Kenyan data labelers viewed uncensored sexual and violent footage from the glasses; Meta terminated that contract shortly after. Additionally, 404 Media reports that users have modified the glasses to disable the recording indicator light.

Other reported harms include a BBC report where a woman recorded by the glasses was stalked at work after her phone number was posted with the video. Furthermore, more than 70 people have sued Meta, alleging their intimate videos and images were exposed to data labeling workers.

The senators are asking Meta to disclose what safeguards exist to prevent the nonconsensual capture of intimate imagery, whether the company evaluated the potential for the hardware to facilitate voyeurism, and if users can request the deletion of biometric data. This scrutiny comes as Meta has promoted the glasses using celebrities such as Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Kris Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat, and Jennie Kim, while filing a patent to add facial recognition features.