When content creator and mental health coach Aditi Chandanani wears her Meta glasses, she has developed a habit of telling people when they are switched on. She is not always recording, but she knows people cannot easily tell the difference. “People kept looking at my glasses before they said something,” she says, recalling a trip to Dubai with friends. “I would tell them, ‘I’ll tell you when I switch it on.’”

That uncertainty is at the centre of the debate around smart glasses. While devices like Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are marketed as a way to capture moments hands-free, critics argue that their biggest concern is not the wearer’s privacy, but everyone around them. Unlike a phone camera, which requires a person to physically lift a device and point it, smart glasses sit naturally on the face. A tiny LED light indicates when recording is happening, but privacy experts argue you can switch the light off. Even if it is on, many people may not notice it or even know what it means.