The Dutch eyewear chain Hans Anders has suspended sales of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium amid growing privacy concerns, in one of the first such moves by a retailer. The decision comes as public and political debate intensifies over how camera-equipped smart glasses can be used, Reuters reported.
"This decision follows the ongoing public and political debate surrounding smart glasses and the questions being raised about the conditions under which this technology can be used," a spokesperson for the Hans Anders chain said.
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A growing Dutch outcry over the glasses reflects broader concerns about smart glasses equipped with cameras.
In Britain, pub chain Wetherspoon has restricted the use of Meta's glasses over concerns about covert recording, while Meta and Luxottica face a US lawsuit alleging that videos captured by the glasses were viewed by human annotators without the knowledge of the people filmed.
A Meta spokesperson said the company is continuing to develop the glasses. "Every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video — it can't be turned off, and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it," the spokesperson said.
Last month, the Dutch privacy regulator AP warned that videos recorded with smart glasses showing identifiable people generally cannot be shared or published without their permission, which could be difficult to obtain in public places.
Consumer rights group Consumentenbond said this week it would take Meta to court unless the company modifies the glasses to comply with privacy law.
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Offlimits, a group that combats online abuse, also urged Meta and Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica on Friday to voluntarily remove the glasses from sale until a way can be found to prevent covert recordings.
Hans Anders is a subsidiary of Nexeye, which is owned by private equity firm KKR. Nexeye operates 776 stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Sweden, while the Meta glasses are sold only in the Netherlands and Belgium.
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