Dutch privacy group gives Meta employees a taste of their own medicine
Zuckerberg’s staff weren’t happy about being recorded.
Image by Getty/Bloomberg
- Dutch privacy group Bits of Freedom filmed Meta employees to challenge Meta’s smart glasses.
- Several employees objected to being recorded, and security said people were unhappy about being filmed.
- The group says Meta glasses enable non-consensual filming in streets, saunas, beaches, and other public spaces.
- Venues and authorities in Europe and the US are raising privacy and security concerns about the glasses.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
A Dutch non-profit just proved how undesirable Meta glasses really are as Mark Zuckerberg’s own employees cower away from the camera.
Bits of Freedom, a Dutch non-profit focused on digital rights and user privacy, decided to give Meta a taste of its own medicine by invading the privacy of its employees.
The non-profit descended on one of Meta’s offices in the Netherlands to ask employees how they like the glasses.
Many people in the video showed contempt for the glasses, with some people asking them to “stop recording.”
Bits of Freedom was later approached by security, which said they were receiving reports that a man was wearing Meta glasses and asking people questions.
“People weren’t too happy about it,” the security guard said in Dutch.
The organization isn’t happy about Meta glasses either. Bits of Freedom has been campaigning to keep “peeping glasses” off the streets.
Since last year, Meta’s AI Ray-Bans have been available for purchase in physical stores in the Netherlands, and, according to Bits of Freedom, sales went through the roof.
The glasses have allowed men to film women without their consent and have led to thousands of videos surfacing online.
Not only have Meta glasses been used to film women on the streets, but they’ve also been used to record unsuspecting victims in more intimate settings, like saunas or the beach, where women’s bodies may be more exposed.
While the filming itself is a concern, Bits of Freedom also raises the issue of where that footage goes.
“You have no control over what Meta subsequently does with all that collected data. Given Meta's reputation regarding privacy, we shouldn't take its word for it.”
So, to protect the public’s privacy from “scoundrels,” Bits of Freedom wants a nationwide ban on pervert glasses.
And until then, Bits of Freedom is calling on entrepreneurs, businesses, and organizations to take matters into their own hands.
“Shops, clubs, or schools can already protect people from this humiliating form of technology,” it urges.
One venue in Utrecht has already taken steps to ban Meta glasses.
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Global campaign against Meta glasses
This isn’t just happening in the Netherlands. It's happening all over the world. In the UK, venues have banned pervert glasses, and French authorities are investigating Meta over glasses harassment claims.
Various complaints have been filed against Meta, including a criminal complaint by a German advocacy group alleging violations of privacy laws.
Privacy anxieties intensify despite Meta updating its glasses to prevent people from being recorded without their consent.
Authorities in the US are concerned that they’ll be secretly recorded inside detention facilities or could be used to facilitate terror attacks, raising concerns of counterintelligence.
