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Meta's smart glasses record private data, spark Swedish minister's concern

Key Points
  • Meta's smart glasses can record private data without user awareness, with sensitive footage reportedly appearing in Kenya.
  • Swedish Civil Minister Erik Slottner is demanding clarity on data handling after media reports.
  • Optician staff in Sweden gave inconsistent and incorrect information about where user data goes.

Meta's new AI-powered smart glasses, marketed as an all-in-one assistant, can reportedly record private situations without the user noticing and send the data onward. Sensitive data, including images of naked people in bathrooms and visible genitalia, has appeared on screens in Nairobi, Kenya, according to reports from Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten. Following these revelations, Swedish Civil and Consumer Minister Erik Slottner has demanded clear answers about where the data ends up.

The glasses are sold in Sweden by optician chains like Synoptik, but when reporters visited ten optician stores in Stockholm and Gothenburg posing as customers, staff gave unclear and sometimes incorrect answers about data handling. Synoptik's marketing director stated that all data is handled by Meta under its established privacy framework, and that staff undergo training covering privacy and ethical guidelines, though the company acknowledges ongoing efforts to ensure accurate information.

Following these revelations, Swedish Civil and Consumer Minister Erik Slottner has demanded clear answers about where the data ends up.

Erik Slottner, Swedish Civil and Consumer Minister

Synoptik's marketing director stated that all data is handled by Meta under its established privacy framework, and that staff undergo training covering privacy and ethical guidelines, though the company acknowledges ongoing efforts to ensure accurate information.

Synoptik's marketing director, Marketing director of Synoptik

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