German advocacy group lodges criminal complaint over Meta AI glasses

HateAid said its complaint was based on a federal digital data protection law that prohibits the sale of communication devices designed to film people without them noticing.

Germany's digital communications regulator, the Federal Network Agency, previously issued a statement on smart glasses in late 2023, saying that connected devices for covert audio or video recordings were banned.

The agency, known as BNetzA, told Reuters on Wednesday that it was closely monitoring the smart glasses market but was for now not formally investigating any breaches.

"The ownership, import or sale of smart glasses are not banned ... for as long as the recording function is clearly visible, for instance via an optical signal," said a spokesperson.

Broadcaster SWR reported in July that a Hamburg-based state privacy protection agency was taking legal steps against the use of smart glasses.

HateAid said in its statement it had been increasingly registering image-based digital violence, mainly targeting women.