German NGO Files Criminal Complaint Over Meta’s Covert Smart Glasses

German human-rights group HateAid filed a criminal complaint against Meta, its Ray‑Ban and Oakley partners, and retailers, arguing Meta’s discreet camera‑equipped smart glasses violate German privacy laws and should be restricted where recording is allowed. Meta defends the devices’ privacy safeguards (LED indicators and tamper‑detection), but critics warn bystanders may be recorded without consent while AI features send surroundings data to Meta for processing, with contractors reviewing such material; the case comes as privacy concerns mount and Meta previously removed dormant facial‑recognition code.