Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses expose intimate images and audio to human reviewers
Journalists investigating Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses found that intimate video recordings captured by the devices were sent to human contractors in Kenya for AI training, exposing sensitive personal information without user knowledge. Regulatory agencies in Brazil, the US, and Germany have opened investigations into privacy and data protection violations.
What happened
A joint investigation by Swedish newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten published in March 2026 revealed that Meta sent video recordings from Ray-Ban smart glasses to workers at Sama, a third-party data annotation company in Nairobi, Kenya, for AI training purposes.
According to workers interviewed, the videos contained intimate content including people using bathrooms, changing clothes, and engaging in sexual activity, as well as sensitive personal information such as bank card details and private conversations.
Reported impact
The exposure of intimate imagery and audio to human reviewers without user knowledge or consent raises significant privacy concerns, as users of the device were unaware their personal moments could be reviewed by distant contractors.
Meta changed its terms in April 2025, requiring US users to keep voice recordings stored for up to one year even when attempting to disable storage, limiting user control over their captured data.
Index analysis
The incident reflects a gap between Meta's privacy-focused marketing of the devices and the actual handling of captured data through human review processes.
Instituto Coding Rights filed a complaint with Brazil's ANPD, national consumer authority Senacon, and federal public ministry MPF, arguing Meta bears responsibility for placing a high-risk product on the market that eliminates users' ability to consent to being filmed in public spaces.
Governance controls
Similar investigations into Meta's smart glasses are underway in the United States, Germany, and other jurisdictions, indicating international regulatory concern with the technology's privacy implications.
In Brazil, users filmed without authorization may seek court action for image removal and damages under constitutional rights protections.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.