JD Wetherspoon has confirmed a major change across all its UK pubs, banning customers from using the cameras on Meta glasses while inside its venues. The pub chain announced that customers wearing the smart eyewear will be asked to turn off the cameras if they wish to enter.
Privacy Concerns Drive Decision
The move comes amid privacy concerns over the technology, with the ban aiming to prevent customers or employees from being filmed without their permission. While Wetherspoon venues already have CCTV cameras installed for security reasons, as do many other hospitality firms, their use is controlled by data legislation.
Apart from this, the pub chain said the “general code” that applies across its pubs is to not allow customers to be filmed without their consent. The wearable Meta tech appears to “breach this code,” so customers are being asked to turn off the cameras inside Wetherspoon venues.
Meta Glasses Features and Concerns
Meta glasses are smart and AI-powered eyewear developed by tech firm Meta (formerly Facebook) in partnership with Ray-Ban and Oakley. They feature a built-in camera which allows you to capture point-of-view photos and videos, as well as open-ear speakers which let you listen to audio or take phone calls hands-free.
But the glasses have raised privacy concerns over their ability to allow wearers to covertly record videos or take pictures of unsuspecting individuals without their consent.
Wetherspoon's Statement
Confirming the rule, Wetherspoon told the Express: “Like many hospitality companies, Wetherspoon has CCTV cameras for security reasons, but their use is strictly controlled by data legislation.
“Apart from that, the general code that applies in our pubs, and most pubs, is that you can’t film customers or employees without their permission.
“Meta glasses seem to breach this code, and common sense, by enabling surreptitious surveillance, so our instinct is to say turn off the cameras. This is akin to our efforts to stop audible playing of videos in our pubs, which also invades people’s space.”
Meta's Response
Meta says the glasses have a subtle built-in LED light that blinks when the camera is recording or taking a photo, which cannot be turned off. A Meta Spokesperson told LBC: “People use our glasses because they're genuinely helpful – from listening to music, to live translation or hands-free calls. For those wearing them and the people around them, trust matters. That's why we built privacy into our AI glasses from the ground up.
“For example, every pair has a capture LED that blinks when you take a photo or video that you can save or share, it can't be turned off, and if someone covers or damages the LED, the camera is disabled. We will keep strengthening our protections as our glasses become even more capable.”
