A German regulator tested Meta's glasses. The recording light does not always come on.
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information published a technical and legal review of the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses on 10 September 2026, after taking the first generation Wayfarer apart and reading what…
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information published a technical and legal review of the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses on 10 September 2026, after taking the first generation Wayfarer apart and reading what its companion app sends.
The authority's conclusion: recording people outside your close circle "will generally not be permissible", because "informed consent cannot realistically be obtained due to a lack of transparency". It adds that "there will typically be no legal basis for Meta's AI training".
Correctiv reported the technical detail behind that. The white recording LED is hard to recognise outdoors or in sunlight. Only someone standing close and nearly head on reliably sees it. On the second generation, the authority found the LED does not light at all when the AI function is used.
Correctiv also reported that if the LED is covered after a recording has started, it stays invisible for the rest of the recording.
The findings land on anyone who runs a restricted room. A visitor can be wearing a camera that most people in the room will not notice, and the report says the indicator they would look for is the part that does not work.
Does your visitor policy say anything at all about a camera worn as a pair of glasses?
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