The Dutch data protection authority has urged hospitals, courts, and places of worship to ban camera-equipped smart glasses, warning that bystanders cannot tell when they are being recorded.

The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens said filming people with the glasses is in most cases illegal under GDPR when footage is shared without consent. “People should be able to walk down the street freely without having to worry that someone is secretly recording them,” board member Katja Mur said.

The regulator argues the small recording light is not enough to inform people they are being filmed, and notes newer models include AI assistants that analyse what the wearer sees in real time.

The warning has had commercial impact. Retailer Wehkamp removed Ray-Ban Meta glasses on October 1, and optician chain Hans Anders suspended sales on October 2. Consumer group Consumentenbond gave Meta two weeks from September 29 to modify the glasses or face legal action.

The Dutch government is holding off on a national ban, saying venue operators already have powers to bar the devices.