Germany news: Calls intensify to ban Meta Glasses
08/03/2026 August 3, 2026 Privacy advocates and regulators alike call for Meta Glasses ban According to German digital rights NGO HateAid, police in the city
08/03/2026 August 3, 2026 Privacy advocates and regulators alike call for Meta Glasses ban According to German digital rights NGO HateAid, police in the city of Potsdam have already received complaints from young women who say they were filmed by male strangers at a public swimming pool using Meta Glasses. Germany is known for being a highly privacy-conscious country, and photographing and filming strangers without their consent is against the law.
However, as HateAid points out, the burden of proof often rests on the victim. Moreover, with Meta Glasses, it is much less obvious when one is being recorded than with a smartphone. "This technology is fueling digital violence, as perpetrators now need virtually no technical know-how," HateAid said. Thomas Fuchs, a privacy and digital regulation official for the city of Hamburg, told broadcaster ARD that he thinks an outright ban on smart glasses is possible.
Meta's main German corporate offices are located in the northern city-state. His office tested the glasses, he said, and found that the LED light that is supposed to alert passersby that a user in
filming is far too faint to be see in normal daylight. He told ARD that he is speaking with colleagues in Ireland, where Meta has their European headquarters, on crafting policy at the EU-level.
The BriefWire