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Wetherspoon, one of the United Kingdom's largest pub chains, has banned customers from filming inside its venues using Meta's camera-equipped smart glasses. The company said the devices make it easier to record people without their knowledge or consent, and staff will ask customers wearing the glasses to switch off the cameras.
The chain said the decision stems from privacy concerns over customers and staff being filmed without permission.
According to a statement from Wetherspoon, filming without consent from customers or staff is already prohibited across its more than 800 pubs.
The company said Meta's glasses conflict with this rule and confirmed it will ask wearers to turn off the cameras.
A company spokesperson said the pub chains use CCTV systems for security purposes, but those systems are subject to data protection legislation. The spokesperson said Meta's glasses pose a different problem because they enable "covert surveillance."
According to the Independent, the decision comes amid growing criticism that Meta's camera-equipped glasses can be used to film people without their knowledge.
Women in particular have said they felt "violated" and "scared" after realizing they had been secretly filmed by people wearing the glasses.
Refuge, an organization working on violence against women, warned that the glasses could facilitate harassment, voyeurism and other forms of abuse against women and girls in public spaces.
Meta's glasses have also been banned at some schools and events. Monopoly Events, the organizer behind Comic-Con events, banned use of the glasses at its events to prevent attendees from being filmed without their knowledge.
The use of the glasses in social media videos involving "prank" and flirting content, often filming women without their awareness, has also drawn controversy.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company would work to limit the spread of such content on the platform.
Responding to Wetherspoon's decision, Meta said its smart glasses are not used solely for recording.
The company said the glasses offer features including music playback, live translation and hands-free phone calls, and said they provide significant technological benefits for people with visual or hearing impairments.
Meta acknowledged that banning filming at some venues is reasonable, but argued that rules should be applied consistently based on how the technology is used.
The company also said the glasses feature a light that turns on during photo or video recording, indicating to people nearby that recording is taking place.
Meta said this feature, unlike with smartphones and other cameras, makes it easier for people to know when they are being recorded.
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