🔶 France investigating sexual abuse using smart glasses

Smart glasses are hardly distinguishable from regular glasses. Only a small light on the frame shows that the device is recording; glasses whose use is becoming increasingly widespread and challenging.

French prosecutors, after receiving complaints about filming women in the street without their knowledge and posting the images online, have begun criminal investigations into cases suspected of sexual harassment using smart glasses.

The Paris prosecutor’s office announced that it has recently opened at least one related investigation into a pattern on social networks and the use of these devices. The prosecutor’s office did not disclose the name or brand of the glasses used in this case.

Smart glasses combine regular eyeglasses with features such as a camera, a microphone, and, increasingly, artificial intelligence.

Various models of these glasses exist on the market, but products from Meta, made in collaboration with the French-Italian company EssilorLuxottica, account for about 76% of global sales and dominate the market.

Meta’s AI-equipped glasses have a small camera that allows users to take photos and record video in a subtle way.

Last year, about seven million of these devices were sold, and EssilorLuxottica also reported “rapid growth” in sales in 2026.

The quick success of these products has led regulatory bodies, prosecutors, privacy activists, and companies to pay more attention to the consequences of using them.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said its cybercrime unit, two weeks ago, examined smart glasses to determine what crimes they could be used for. No further details have been released.

A Meta spokesperson said: “From the very beginning, we designed privacy into our AI-enabled glasses.” He added that the company will continue to strengthen protective measures as the technology advances.

EssilorLuxottica declined to comment on the matter.

France’s data protection authority has, so far, received fewer than 10 complaints about the use of smart glasses in workplaces.

The agency says employers are increasingly asking about the possibility of banning the use of these glasses at work.

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