Meta is facing a class-action lawsuit for allegedly sending intimate footage recorded on its "smart glasses" to contractors in Kenya.
According to an investigation by Swedish media outlets Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten, Meta's AI-powered smart glasses may transmit confidential videos to human reviewers in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
The report claims that contractors received footage of sexual encounters from showers and other private moments.
The lawsuit accuses Meta of violating false advertising and privacy laws, citing the company's statement that the glasses are designed with privacy protection in mind.
"No reasonable consumer would understand that phrases like 'designed for privacy, controlled by you' and similar promises mean sending strictly personal videos to overseas workers," the lawsuit states.
Contractors in Nairobi are tasked with labeling content for AI, which helps train neural networks more effectively.
"We see everything—from living rooms to naked bodies. Meta has such material in its databases," one specialist told Svenska Dagbladet.
A former employee revealed that faces in such videos are automatically blurred, but according to workers in Kenya, this feature does not always function as intended.
Another source noted that sometimes bank card information is visible in the video footage.
Meta's Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses come equipped with a built-in AI assistant capable of answering questions about what the user sees.
Despite potential security risks, the popularity of such devices has surged recently. In 2025, Meta sold over 7 million units, more than triple the combined sales for 2023 and 2024.
Users Share Content Themselves
Meta representative Tracy Clayton stated that media files from the smart glasses remain on the user's device until they choose to share them with others or the company.
"When users provide content to Meta AI, we sometimes use contractors to review the data to enhance the user experience. Many others do the same," he noted.
According to Clayton, the company is taking steps to filter data to protect privacy and prevent the review of identifiable information.
It is worth noting that in September 2025, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the Meta Ray-Ban Display—the first smart glasses with a built-in screen.