Dutch group sues Meta after it refuses to alter its "spy glasses"
Consumer groups aren’t seeing eye to eye with Meta.
Meta smartglasses. Image by NurPhoto via Gettyimages
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- Dutch consumer group Consumentenbond is suing Meta over its camera-equipped smart glasses in the Netherlands.
- The group says Meta must change the glasses and default settings to comply with privacy laws.
- Meta says it will keep selling the glasses, and a hearing is scheduled in Amsterdam on November 26th, 2026.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The Consumentenbond, the consumers’ association in the Netherlands, is taking legal action against Meta after it refused to modify its AI glasses.
Two weeks ago, the consumer interest group demanded that Meta stop selling camera-equipped glasses in the Netherlands and modify the product to comply with privacy legislation.
Instead, Alex Himel, Vice President of Wearables at Meta, announced that Meta would continue selling its AI glasses.
“When the first smartphones with cameras appeared in stores, there was also an uproar,” he explained, prompting concern among privacy experts and advocacy groups.
The Dutch Consumers’ Association is now taking action by filing a lawsuit against Meta.
“The Consumers’ Association is demanding that Meta modify the glasses and their default settings so that they comply with privacy laws. Meta must also stop the unlawful processing of data for AI purposes,” the consumer interest group says in a press release.
The Consumentenbond is joining forces with 2 other Dutch advocacy groups: Offlimits and The Firewall.
"A reciple for trouble"
Earlier this week, Offlimits announced it would be suing Meta for privacy infringement.
“These spy glasses are a recipe for trouble. We’re therefore drawing the line. Concealing a camera in an everyday object encourages inappropriate behavior,” Offlimits Director Robbert Hoving said in a statement.
According to Eric Smit, Chairman of The Firewall, Meta’s AI glasses look like ordinary glasses but contain a hidden camera, making it very easy to film people without their knowledge or consent and creating a privacy nightmare.
“Meta glasses infringe on the rights of people who are filmed without their consent. We must draw a line before an avalanche of such dubious products from major tech companies infringes on the privacy of countless people and turns our society into a surveillance state,” Smit said in a statement that was published on Thursday.
“These glasses undeniably pose a threat to our democratic rule of law. We must all be free to demonstrate, vote, or otherwise exercise our fundamental democratic rights,” he continued.
“A safe online world is built together. The fact that, in addition to The Firewall and Offlimits, the Consumers’ Association is also taking a stand against Meta sends a strong message. We’re drawing a line here. If Meta doesn’t follow the rules, we’ll work together to make sure it does,” Hoving concluded.
The hearing will take place on November 26th, 2026, in the District Court of Amsterdam.
