Meta is reportedly facing a new lawsuit in the United States over privacy concerns related to its AI-powered smart glasses. The legal action follows reports by Swedish newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten that employees at a Kenya-based subcontractor had been reviewing private footage recorded through customers' smart glasses.
According to the lawsuit, workers at Nairobi-based data annotation company Sama were exposed to sensitive content including nudity, toilet use, sex, bank card information, private messages and chats while reviewing footage. The United Kingdom's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, has reportedly decided to investigate the matter.
designed for privacy, controlled by you
The lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs Mateo Canu of California and Gina Bartone of New Jersey, who are being represented by Clarkson Law Firm, which specializes in public interest cases. The legal action claims that Meta has promoted false advertising and disregarded privacy laws, alleging that the company's marketing phrases such as 'designed for privacy, controlled by you' may have misled users about data protection.
Luxottica of America, Meta's glasses manufacturing partner, has also been named in the lawsuit for conduct allegedly going against consumer protection laws. Meta has stated that subcontracted workers sometimes need to review customer content to improve the smart glasses' experience, but maintains that it takes customer privacy seriously and uses measures to filter data and protect identifying information.
subcontracted workers sometimes need to review customer content to improve the smart glasses' experience, but maintains that it takes customer privacy seriously and uses measures to filter data and protect identifying information
The case highlights growing concerns about 'luxury surveillance' technology and comes amid increasing scrutiny of AI-powered wearable devices.