There is Hans Anders Ray-Ban has stopped selling smart glasses from Meta in the Netherlands and Belgium.
They want to wait until it becomes clear how these devices can be used to capture people around them without them realizing it, a company spokesperson was quoted as saying. “Questions raised in situations where this technology might be used”. Hans Anders belongs to the Nexeye Group and has more than 400 companies spread across the two countries.
Both stores and websites are affected. The company intends to await the outcome of the dispute over the issue and possible measures before deciding how to sell again.
Ray-Ban Smart Sunglasses
The spokeswoman said a small amount had been sold before sales were suspended, without saying how many.
Offlimits, an association dedicated to eradicating online abuse, reported that it had received notices of people being recorded without their consent. According to various media reports, They shared pictures of women and minors on Telegram groups and visited websites specializing in them.
Meta protects that you can distinguish when you’re recording Thanks to a light located in front of the glasses; It says that it cannot be “turned off” and the camera stops recording if it detects that the indicator has been covered or manipulated.
in the UK, The Wetherspoon Group Has restricted the use of glasses and, in A case has been filed in the United States which alleges that the images were reviewed by human annotators without the knowledge of the people recording them In addition, the Dutch data protection regulator has warned that images of identifiable individuals cannot generally be disseminated without their permission.
In a statement on the matter, Meta explains how the glasses work. Photos and videos recorded for the gallery are stored in the memory of the glasses and the user decides when to download them to their mobile phone and upload them to social networks. This means that everything recorded is not publicly displayed on networks
However, the company has acknowledged that some people have tried to alter or destroy the indicator light so that it is not visible. Meta already blocked the camera if it detected that the light was covered since the second generation specs, and announced an update in July 2026 to disable it even if it detects that the indicator has been physically tampered with or destroyed.
For its part, the Consumerenbond questions the effectiveness of these warnings in a test published on its website. In information released on September 10, 2026, the association explained that it was able to continue recording after the September 2, 2026 privacy update, by placing a sticker over the light indicator. At the same time, he said that it can sometimes be difficult to see lights in the distance or in the sun.
Case against Meta
Consumentenbond announced a Suit to change the design of glasses and privacy settingsas well as to order Meta to stop processing data for its artificial intelligence models that the association deems illegal.
In a statement released on October 15, the association said that images of people recorded may reveal personal information, such as their religion or health. They want corrective measures to be taken within two weeks if the Consumerenbond gets a favorable resolution. If Meta maintains that it cannot bring the product into compliance with the law, they request that the sale of the glasses be banned.
They claim that the changes respect the privacy of users and those recorded. The association also asks to consider, in the case of the ban, an exception due to medical need for people who are blind or have low vision, who could benefit from using artificial intelligence glasses.
Offlimits and the Firewall Foundation also announced a lawsuit Against Meta where they claim they stop selling glasses while allowing covert recordings and modify those already sold so they can only be recorded with express consent, in a statement released on Oct. 15. The agencies said the companies rejected their offer to voluntarily withdraw the product from the market.
A hearing is scheduled for November 26, 2026 in a court in Amsterdam. According to the agency, they have requested the court to jointly review the proceedings. Their requests include changes to devices already sold; This will also affect the glasses purchased, if the judges grant the requests.
Picture | GPT image with editing, meta
