UK bans Meta glasses in the courts of England and Wales

The courts of England and Wales banned Meta’s smart glasses this Tuesday: the court service (CTS) will confiscate them from anyone trying to enter a courthouse with them. The measure, revealed by The Guardian, joins the ban New York imposed last month and the growing backlash against devices that can record video without others knowing.

How the ban will work

The His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, which manages all criminal, civil and family courts in England and Wales, warned that Meta glasses will be removed at the entrance and returned upon exit. A spokesperson explained that “there are clear restrictions on taking images or videos in courts, which is why the use of Meta glasses is prohibited”.

The difference with phones is notable: smartphones can enter, provided they are not used to record the proceedings. For the glasses there will be no exception.

The “creepy glasses” scandal

Meta sold 7 million pairs of these glasses last year, priced between £269 and £469. Their ability to record without permission —especially women— earned them the nickname “creepy glasses” and led to bans in restaurants, theaters and pubs, including all 800 Wetherspoons locations.

This is not the first time the glasses have caused legal problems: earlier in the year, a litigant was accused of using them in the High Court to receive “instructions” while testifying, and in February Mark Zuckerberg’s security guards appeared wearing them at a trial in California, leading the judge to threaten them with contempt.

The New York precedent

New York’s court system announced its own ban in July to prevent anyone from “surreptitiously recording court proceedings”. Meta declined to comment on the British ban, although it argues the glasses emit a light when recording.

The key figure: 7 million. The pairs of glasses Meta sold last year, at the center of the biggest privacy controversy the wearables industry remembers.