Archive · 9 Aug 2026
UK Venues Ban Meta Smart Glasses Over Privacy Concerns
Meta makes special glasses that look like normal glasses but have tiny cameras and microphones hidden inside.
They are powered by artificial intelligence and are very popular.
Celebrities like Kylie Jenner have promoted them.
People wearing these glasses can secretly take pictures and record videos of others.
Many restaurants, pubs, and theatres in the United Kingdom became worried about this.
They did not want customers and workers to be filmed without knowing.
So these places decided to ban the glasses.
Visitors wearing them may be asked to take them off.
Some places say people can stay only if they turn off the cameras.
The owners say recording people without permission is unfair and invades their privacy.
UK restaurants, pub chains, and theatres have banned Meta's smart glasses due to privacy fears, The Guardian reported.
The AI-powered eyewear, promoted by celebrities like Kylie Jenner, looks like standard glasses but has built-in cameras and microphones.
Jeremy King, owner of London venues such as Simpsons in the Strand, said he would never knowingly allow any invasion of guest privacy.
Soho House confirmed its strict no-filming rule applies fully to smart glasses, and members and guests will be asked to take them off.
Tim Martin of Wetherspoons said filming people without permission breaches the pub code, while ATG Theatres will ask visitors to remove the glasses during live shows.
- Who
- UK venue operators including Tim Martin of Wetherspoons, restaurateur Jeremy King, Soho House, and ATG Theatres, along with Meta, the maker of the glasses.
- What
- The banning of Meta's AI-powered smart glasses, which feature built-in cameras and microphones, by UK theatres, pubs, and restaurants due to privacy concerns.
- When
- Not specified in the articles.
- Where
- United Kingdom, including venues in London, Edinburgh, and Bristol.
- Why
- Because the glasses can record customers and staff without their knowledge or consent, which venue owners say breaches privacy and anti-recording policies.
- News source
- The Guardian
- Reason for ban
- Privacy concerns over built-in cameras and microphones that can record people without consent
- Venues involved
- Wetherspoons, Soho House, ATG Theatres, and London restaurants including Simpsons in the Strand, Arlington, and The Park
- Device
- Meta smart glasses (AI-powered eyewear)
- Key figures
- Tim Martin (Wetherspoons CEO) and Jeremy King (restaurateur)
- Location
- United Kingdom (London, Edinburgh, Bristol)
- Celebrity promoter
- Kylie Jenner