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It's to stop cinema-goers from recording the latest Hollywood releases
Multiplexes across the UK have started to ban Meta glasses over privacy and piracy concerns. The tech-packed spectacles, which offer hands-free access to Meta's Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot and can capture photos and video from a small camera built into the frames, have already been outlawed in courtrooms in England and Wales.
Meta, parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, is the market leader when it comes to these smart glasses, which are available as sunglasses and prescription eyewear. However, Google and Samsung have also announced a collaboration with brands like Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to launch rival smart glasses soon.
These spectacles let you capture photos and videos hands-free, listen to music and take calls via built-in speakers in the arms and a slew of microphones, and get answers to general knowledge queries from the AI assistant. Meta is working on designs with a small, see-through screen for turn-by-turn directions and other details.
There is an LED notification light built into these frames that illuminates when it has started to record video to alert those around you that they could be captured on video. However, wearers found they could tamper with the alert light to secretly film others without them ever knowing. The backlash was fierce enough that the devices earned the nickname "pervert glasses" across social media.
Additionally, a recent investigation found videos from glasses of people undressing and using the toilet were being watched. It has since sparked a debate over whether cameras should be built into the specs at all.
The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) said many venues are now looking into their policies around smart glasses over fears that cinema-goers could sneakily record parts of films to share online. These specs could also be disruptive to other people in the auditorium.
Cinemas have become the latest industry to clamp down on use of the smart glasses after action from pub operators and theatres in recent weeks. As a result, numerous venues have already prohibited and restricted their use by cinemagoers.
A UKCA spokesman said: “UK cinema operators are aware of the increasing availability and use of wearable technology such as smart glasses and the extent to which these can provide benefits to those with specific access requirements.
“However, they are also mindful of the issues around privacy and film piracy that arise around the use of such technology in cinemas, and as a result many are introducing policies to prohibit and/or restrict the wearing of camera-enabled smart glasses in particular in their venues.
“This is clearly a developing area, and we will continue to work with our members to ensure their approach remains relevant and proportionate.”
A number of pub firms, including Wetherspoons, have indicated that they will not allow people to record with the glasses inside their venues. Meta first started selling Meta glasses in 2021 but has seen demand grow in recent years on the back of a partnership with brands Ray-Ban and Oakley, with around seven million pairs sold last year.
The technology company said it recognises that films should not be recorded without authorisation.
A Meta spokeswoman said: “People use our glasses because they’re helpful and let them stay in the moment, from listening to music to live translation or hands-free calls.
“They also provide critical new technology for people in the blind and low vision community, and limiting how people can use this technology would be a major step backwards.
“Naturally some places shouldn’t be filmed at all, and that’s reasonable, but rules should be applied consistently.”
Additional Reporting By Henry Saker-Clark, Press Association Deputy Business Editor
