// gadgets & wearables
A dated, sourced timeline of bans, restrictions and rules on camera and AI glasses. It covers governments, regulators, courts, retailers and venue chains, and says what each action covers.
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24 entries from 22 sources. Checked for news daily; last checked
This tracker follows public actions that ban, restrict or regulate camera and AI glasses, such as Meta's Ray-Ban models. Entries run from US courthouse bans to Norway's planned temporary ban.
An entry is added when a national or state government, a legislature, regulator, prosecutor or court system takes a dated, formal step on these glasses' use or sale. So is a step by a retailer or venue chain that operates nationally, or by a national industry body. A formal legal step by a named organization also counts when it seeks to stop or change their sale or use. Formal steps are:
Each step must be confirmed by the body's own statement, a wire or an established news report. A plan is logged as a plan, not as a ban in force. Future dates stated by a named body are marked as scheduled.
Left out: single venues, local groups of venues, rules set by city and municipal governments, and rules that private employers set for their own staff and offices. Also out are opinion pieces, petitions, calls for a ban with no legal step, rumors and product launches. The list is selective, not complete, and current as of October 9, 2026.
Targets set by the organizations named. Dates like these often move.
Scheduled
The Tweede Kamer, the Dutch House of Representatives, set this target in a motion it adopted on September 29, 2026. The motion asks the government to work out legal options with the data protection authority. It asks for them to be shared with the chamber in the first quarter of 2027.
Scheduled
Offlimits and The Firewall set this deadline in a demand they announced on September 29, 2026. Meta has until then to comply voluntarily and open talks with them. If the glasses stay in stores, the groups say they will start summary proceedings at the Amsterdam district court.
Source: Offlimits en The Firewall sommeren Meta om omstreden Meta-bril uit de schappen te halen, Offlimits
Scheduled
The Dutch data protection authority says it is contributing to a joint statement on smart glasses by the European Data Protection Board. Its guidance page, read on October 9, 2026, says the statement is expected in the autumn of 2026. The page gives no exact date.
Australia's privacy regulator said it had opened a formal investigation into Shenzhen Qingcheng. The company provides the HeyCyan app used with many lower-cost smart glasses. It did not respond to the regulator's preliminary inquiries, which also went to Kmart, BDI Technology, Meta and Google.
Source: Smart glasses under the microscope, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
The government said the ban could cover places such as parks, beaches, museums, schools and gyms with changing rooms. It said private use would still be allowed. It said it would present a bill to parliament as soon as possible. It also said it would set up an expert group to advise on permanent rules. No ban is in force.
Source: Norway to propose temporary ban on AI glasses in some public places, Reuters (via Internazionale)
Hans Anders said on October 2, 2026 that it had suspended sales of the glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium. A spokesperson cited the public and political debate about smart glasses. Reuters called it one of the first such moves by a retailer. Its parent Nexeye does not sell the glasses in Germany, Austria or Sweden.
NL Times reported on October 1, 2026 that Wehkamp told the newspaper AD it was discontinuing sales. Wehkamp said consumer privacy and safety always come first. It had sold the glasses in recent months.
Source: Hundreds of Dutch women, girls filmed with Meta glasses on creep sites; Lawsuit planned, NL Times
Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have penalized using smart glasses to record people without permission in private spaces. From 2028 it would have required a recording indicator on such devices. Newsom wrote that its definition of a wearable recording device was too broad.
The Tweede Kamer, the Dutch House of Representatives, adopted the motion with parties holding 80 of 150 seats in favor. It says privacy law already bans wearing glasses with built-in cameras in almost all cases. It asks the government to ban them further, allowing for necessary medical use. The motion is a request to the government, not a law.
Consumentenbond said it had sent Meta a formal demand letter. It wants the glasses and their default settings redesigned to meet privacy law. It also wants Meta to stop what it calls unlawful data processing for AI. It said it will go to court if Meta does not act within two weeks.
Source: Consumentenbond eist dat Meta camerabril aanpast, Consumentenbond
Offlimits and The Firewall issued a formal demand to Meta. They want Meta and EssilorLuxottica to withdraw the glasses for as long as people can film secretly with them. They also want Meta to stop processing recordings made without the explicit consent of the people shown.
Source: Offlimits en The Firewall sommeren Meta om omstreden Meta-bril uit de schappen te halen, Offlimits
The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens explained the privacy rules for camera glasses. It said footage of recognizable people may not simply be used, shared or published. It advised organizations to ban the glasses in their house rules where needed. It said it is also examining further measures.
Public service minister Katy Gallagher said she had asked the Australian public service for advice on whether to prohibit the glasses. The Guardian reported that the government is considering a ban in its offices and service centers. It also reported that no national government had banned the glasses across its agencies.
The eSafety Commissioner's office advised industry that glasses should show a recording indicator that cannot be disabled or hidden. It said they should blur the faces of people who have not given informed consent. The Guardian reported that the regulator has no power to force these changes.
Datatilsynet reported on August 25, 2026 that minister Karianne Tung would set up an expert group. It is to advise on regulating new technology such as smart glasses. The government would then study any proposals and send them for consultation.
The association said cinema operators in Britain are introducing policies to prohibit or restrict camera-enabled smart glasses. It cited privacy and film piracy concerns. Policies vary by venue, with no single industry-wide rule.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service told The Guardian that the use of Meta glasses is prohibited in courts and tribunals. The newspaper reported this on August 11, 2026. Glasses will be confiscated on entry and returned when the owner leaves, it reported. Smartphones are still allowed if not used to record proceedings.
Source: Meta glasses banned from courts in England and Wales, The Guardian
The Guardian reported on August 6, 2026 that Wetherspoon will not allow people to record with the glasses inside its pubs. Wetherspoon's Tim Martin said the chain's instinct is to say turn off the cameras. ATG Theatres said people wearing the glasses during shows will be asked to remove them.
Source: Restaurants, pubs and theatres ban Meta’s ‘spy glasses’ over privacy fears, The Guardian
The governor approved HB 4843 as Public Act 104-0682, effective July 31, 2026. The law says electronic communication devices include artificial intelligence smart glasses. Exceptions for hands-free or voice-operated use while driving do not apply to them.
Source: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status of HB4843, Illinois General Assembly
A court administration memo set the ban to start on July 20, 2026, syracuse.com reported on July 7. It bars eyewear or headwear with cameras, microphones or other recording technology from any Unified Court System facility. It covers more than 1,240 courts and applies to staff and attorneys. Wearers must leave the glasses with court officers.
Source: New York Will Ban Smart Glasses From All Courthouses, syracuse.com (via Government Technology)
Datatilsynet said the same rules apply to filming with smart glasses as with a mobile phone. A private person may in general film for purely personal use. It told wearers to switch the glasses off and put them away on beaches, in toilets and in changing rooms.
Source: Bruk av smarte briller, Datatilsynet (Norwegian Data Protection Authority)
Court officials announced the rule on March 24, 2026. From March 30, eyeglasses that can record video or audio are forbidden in First Judicial District of Pennsylvania buildings. The court may give written permission. Violators could face contempt charges and arrest.
Source: Philadelphia courts ban all smart/AI eyeglasses, violators could face arrest, NBC10 Philadelphia
The Information Commissioner's Office said it would ask Meta how it meets its obligations under UK data protection law, The Register reported on March 5, 2026. Swedish newspapers had reported that outsourced workers reviewed private footage from the glasses. The ICO called the claims concerning.
Source: UK watchdog eyes Meta's smart glasses after workers say they 'see everything', The Register
Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it had asked Facebook to show that the LED on its Ray-Ban glasses gives people effective notice of recording. It called the light very small. It also asked for a public information campaign. Italy's regulator had raised concerns earlier.
Norway's government said on October 5, 2026 that it plans to propose a temporary ban on AI glasses in places such as parks, schools and gyms. It is not a total ban, and the bill is still to come.
Smart glasses put microphones, speakers, usually a camera and sometimes a display into ordinary frames. Meta's start at $249, and privacy remains an open question.
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