AP says sharing images from Meta glasses is not allowed

Dutch privacy watchdog AP warned on Tuesday that sharing images made with camera glasses violates GDPR rules unless permission is given by everyone in the image.

The devices, the most popular version is sold by Meta, look like normal glasses but allow users to film and take photos covertly.

“You may not simply share, publish, or use for other purposes photos and videos in which other people are recognisably depicted,” the Dutch Data Protection Authority said in a statement.

“People must be able to walk the streets freely without having to fear that someone is filming them without their knowledge and subsequently sharing the images or posting them on the internet,” board member Katja Mur said.

The group also warned against using the glasses in sensitive locations, like hospitals, courthouses, and religious buildings. It advises those organisations to ban use of the glasses on their premises.

Last month, the consumer watchdog Consumentenbond issued a warning about the glasses, noting that it was possible to manipulate or cover the indicator light to make it even harder to tell images were being captured.