Courts in England and Wales ban Meta glasses
No more “pervert glasses” in judicial buildings.
Meta smartglasses. Image by NurPhoto via Gettyimages
- HMCTS will confiscate Meta glasses from anyone entering court buildings in England and Wales.
- The ban aims to prevent secret recordings, which can breach court rules and risk contempt charges.
- Courts remain open to smartphones, but Meta glasses face stricter controls because recording is less obvious.
- The move follows wider privacy concerns as venues restrict smart glasses while laws lag behind new technology.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Anyone wearing Meta glasses will have them confiscated on entry to court buildings.
His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), responsible for all courts in England and Wales, has confirmed to The Guardian that it is now banning Meta glasses from its judicial buildings.
The controversial glasses, increasingly implicated in non-consensual recording and privacy violations, will be confiscated from anyone entering the facilities and returned upon leaving.
Taking images or videos is prohibited in the UK court buildings unless official permission is granted. Failure to do so can be prosecuted as contempt of court.
While lawyers and members of the public can enter the courts with smartphones, which can be used for recording, the same rule won’t apply to Meta smart glasses.
Earlier this year, a witness in a London court was caught being coached in real-time via smartglasses while giving evidence.
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A review of his phone and metadata revealed that he made calls during the testimony, which he insisted were to his taxi driver. The judge, however, wasn’t convinced.
Smart glasses and other recording-enabled eyewear and headwear were recently banned from all New York state courts.
The prohibition aims to prevent the surreptitious recording of court proceedings in violation of the New York State Civil Rights Law.
By prohibiting Meta glasses, the HMCTS has joined a growing number of Britain’s pub chains, top restaurants, and private members’ clubs that made the device unwelcome to protect customer and staff privacy.
Companies making smartglasses claim that the public is warned that they are being recorded by a blinking LED light on the front frame.
In reality, however, some realized they had been filmed only after videos appeared online, earning the smartglasses a derogatory nickname, “pervert glasses.”
As legislation lags behind rapidly developing technology, those concerned about their privacy are looking for creative solutions.
Social media users suggest blasting Disney songs if you notice you're being filmed. As this music is copyrighted, platforms like YouTube would need to remove these videos.