In France, cases of women being secretly filmed using "smart" glasses are under investigation

The Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that it was investigating cases in which women were filmed in the street without their consent using “smart” glasses. AFP reports, writes UNN.

Details

Across Europe, calls are growing for action against “perverted” smart glasses, as activists call them, after videos of girls and women filmed covertly began appearing online. A petition has also emerged in the United Kingdom calling for their sale to be banned.

In France, the e-Enfance association, which operates a national helpline for victims of online violence, raised the alarm earlier this month over videos recorded using glasses with cameras and shared online.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that it had received “complaints regarding privacy violations related to the use of smart glasses.” Prosecutors did not specify which brands were involved.

Prosecutors drew attention to “a growing trend on social media in which women are filmed in the street using smart glasses without their consent, and the videos are posted online.”

Under French law, such an offense is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($51,000).

Prosecutors said that in some cases they had also opened investigations into sexual assault when “the acts are accompanied by non-consensual sexual contact.”

The Paris prosecutor’s office said that its cybercrime unit “tested smart glasses in September to identify other offenses related to cybercrime.”

Such offenses may include stealing a cryptocurrency wallet’s recovery phrase, enabling criminals to steal funds.

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The e-Enfance association said that as of September 8, it had received around 20 reports from women, most of which concerned Meta glasses.

According to the association, the cases reported to the helpline usually followed a similar pattern: a content creator approaches a young woman or girl in a public place and secretly films her using smart glasses.

The aim is to “provoke a reaction, make her feel uncomfortable, or put her in an awkward position,” after which the video is shared on social media, mainly TikTok.

Meta said it had taken a number of measures to prevent interference with the flashing LED on the glasses, which is intended to indicate when recording is taking place.

For reference

“Smart” glasses can be used to take photographs, record videos, listen to music, make phone calls, translate text, or interact with an artificial intelligence-powered assistant.

Meta’s “smart” glasses, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, have become commercially successful. In 2025, Meta sold seven million pairs. Other companies, including Google and Snap, are also preparing to release AI-enabled glasses.

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