Dutch Retailers Pull Meta AI Glasses Amid Covert Filming Fears as Nonprofits Demand a Sales Halt

Two Dutch retailers, the eyewear chain Hans Anders and the online store Wehkamp, have paused sales of Meta AI glasses in the Netherlands. The move follows media reports that people, especially women, were being filmed in public without knowing it. The Dutch government says it is not yet ready to impose a ban.

Nothing about the covert filming claims has been independently confirmed by IBTimes UK as of this writing.

For context, the sales pause came after the Dutch newspaper AD published a story about people being surreptitiously filmed in public. Business Insider reported that at least two retailers have stopped selling the glasses since then. The glasses carry a camera, which is the root of the row.

Why Meta AI Glasses Have Retailers Worried

Hans Anders did not dress up its reasons. A spokesperson for Nexeye, the chain's parent company, said the decision followed 'the ongoing public and political debate surrounding smart glasses and the questions being raised about the conditions under which this technology can be used.'

The spokesperson told Business Insider the chain 'believes it is important to await the outcome of this debate and any subsequent decisions before determining whether and how these products may be offered again.' In other words, the glasses are off the shelves until someone in authority says otherwise.

Wehkamp has also paused sales. The source material gives no separate statement from the online retailer.

Meta, unsurprisingly, is not retreating. 'Our glasses continue to be very popular and we're continuing to expand styles and features,' a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider.

The spokesperson added that every camera-equipped pair has a bright front light that blinks during photo or video capture. 'It can't be turned off and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it,' the spokesperson said.

Company executives have also argued that smartphones have long been able to film people secretly, and phones have no indicator light at all. It is a fair point, though whether it settles anything is another matter.

Nonprofits Target Meta AI Glasses

The pressure is not coming only from newspapers. The nonprofit Offlimits has urged Meta and EssilorLuxottica to 'remove the controversial Meta glasses from the market as long as they can be used to film covertly.'

Consumentenbond, a Dutch consumer advocacy group, went further in September. It asked the government to ban the glasses, citing privacy concerns.

The group also published a video testing a new type of sticker. It said the sticker got around a software update designed to stop filming when the indicator light is covered. According to the group, the sticker lets in outside light from the side while covering the LED from head-on.

Meta has not been quoted in the source material responding to that specific test. Clever stuff, if it holds up, and exactly the sort of claim that needs independent testing.

Dutch Regulators Weigh Meta AI Glasses

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) recently warned camera glasses users that filming other people is almost always prohibited. It noted that the glasses are not always noticeable in public, though they do have an indicator light when recording.

'The AP is also investigating the possibilities for further measures against camera glasses and other wearables with a camera,' its statement said.

Ministers, however, are in no hurry. During questioning in the Dutch parliament, state secretary for justice Claudia van Bruggen said only six reports and one complaint about the glasses had reached the AP.

That is a small number set against the volume of coverage. Whether it reflects limited misuse or simply people not knowing where to complain is not something the record answers.

Van Bruggen said the European Data Protection Board plans to publish a report on the glasses later this year. 'The Cabinet awaits the findings and any recommendations of the EDPB in the report with interest,' she said.

Until then, the glasses sit in limbo in at least two Dutch retail channels, while Meta insists the safeguards work and critics insist they do not.