German digital rights group files lawsuit over Meta AI Glasses

A German digital rights group filed a lawsuit against Meta, Ray-Ban parent company EssilorLuxottica, and several retailers of the company's artificial intelligence smart glasses, claiming that the devices could enable secret recording, in violation of German privacy laws.

Prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation, while Germany's network regulator says the smart glasses are legal "as long as the recording function is clearly visible."

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Reuters reports:

“There is no escape from smart glasses. You have to expect at any moment to be filmed and then exposed online,” said HateAid CEO Josephine Ballon. The organization has filed a complaint against Meta management, units of eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica, including Ray-Ban, as well as retailers Fielmann, Apollo-Optik, Mister Spex and MediaMarkt with the Frankfurt-based ZIT digital crime prosecution unit. HateAid said its complaint was based on a federal digital data protection law that prohibits the sale of communication devices designed to film people without their knowledge.

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ZIT confirmed that it received the complaint from HateAid invoking the law, stating that it will investigate on a preliminary basis whether there are grounds for a deeper investigation.

Retail group MediaMarktSaturn said it was taking the complaint very seriously, adding that its suppliers had contractual obligations for all products to comply with the law. Mister Spex said it had not been officially informed of any complaints and that it takes privacy very seriously.

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