An investigation has alleged that footage taken on Meta’s AI smart glasses is being watched by tech workers, including intimate moments.
Swedish newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten report that some of the footage recorded by the smart glasses is sent to contractors in Nairobi, Kenya, for review. The workers are employed by Sama as data annotators. Their role is to label images and videos so that Meta’s AI systems can better interpret visual information.
Several workers told the newspapers that they had viewed highly personal material. “In some videos you can see someone going to the toilet, or getting undressed,” one contractor says. “I don’t think they know, because if they knew they wouldn’t be recording.”
Others describe seeing nudity, sexual activity, and financial information such as credit card details. “We see everything — from living rooms to naked bodies,” a worker claims. Another says, “There are also sex scenes filmed with the smart glasses — someone is wearing them having sex.”
Some of the workers say they feel unable to refuse assignments. “You understand that it is someone’s private life you are looking at, but at the same time you are just expected to carry out the work,” one employee tells the reporters. “You are not supposed to question it. If you start asking questions, you are gone.”
Meta’s terms state that the company may “review your interactions with AIs, including the content of your conversations with or messages to AIs, and this review can be automated or manual (human).” The policy also advises users: “Do not share information that you don’t want the AIs to use and retain, such as information about sensitive topics.”
Futurism notes that the Swedish journalists were ignored by Meta for two months until receiving the following terse reply: “When live AI is being used, we process that media according to the Meta AI Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.”
In response to the report, the U.K. data watchdog says it has written to Meta. “Service providers must clearly explain what data is collected and how it is used,” the Information Commissioner’s Officer tells the BBC. “The claims in this article are concerning. We will be writing to Meta to request information on how it is meeting its obligations under UK data protection law.”
The revelation comes amid a period of success for Meta Ray-Bans, with some reports suggesting the company sold over seven million pairs in 2025 alone. But aside from user-generated footage being reviewed by third parties, some users have also been invading other people’s privacy. Even Mark Zuckerberg fell foul of a judge for wearing a pair.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
