A teenage girl was approached by a man at the Fête de la musique in Paris in June. She later found that the encounter had spread across TikTok, Instagram and X, followed by hateful comments and death threats, according to e-Enfance, the French child protection association that runs the 3018 helpline.
The man was reportedly wearing smart glasses, according to reporting on the case. On 22 September, the Paris prosecutor's office opened several investigations after complaints from women filmed in the street without their consent.
Paris Prosecutors Examine Complaints From Women
The prosecutor's office did not name a brand. It said it had received complaints about breaches of privacy linked to smart glasses, while e-Enfance said on 8 September that it had received roughly 20 reports, most involving Meta glasses. Subsequent reports put the number at about 30.
Prosecutors are also investigating alleged sexual assault in cases involving non-consensual sexual contact. The prosecutor's cybercrime division has tested smart glasses to examine other offences that could be committed using the technology.
e-Enfance said a content creator typically approaches a young woman or girl and tries to 'provoke a reaction, make her uncomfortable or place her in an embarrassing situation', then posts the clip online.
'The framework governing these devices needs to be reviewed from the design stage,' Véronique Béchu of the e-Enfance/3018 Observatoire said in a statement.
Meta glasses are being used for covert harassment and group stalking.
— Anonymous (@OpDeathEaters) September 24, 2026
Women and girls are being secretly filmed in streets, schools, restaurants and on dates, then uploaded for millions of strangers. Police inquiries now span worldwide. #OpDeathEaters https://t.co/hK8tD4iAbC
Four Women Recorded on Dates in Seoul
Seoul Gangseo Police Station said in July that a man was under investigation for allegedly wearing Meta's AI glasses on dates with four women earlier this year. The suspect is accused of taking photos and videos of the women without their consent and uploading the footage to social media.
The footage reportedly showed the women from their first meetings at subway stations to meals, coffee and walks. One woman found his account, saw videos of herself and the others, and reported him to police, while he reportedly said he had filmed them 'to preserve the memories'.
Police said they were examining whether the footage included intimate images and whether additional charges under sex crime laws could apply.
Barcelona Videos Used To Sell a Seduction Course
Spain's Policía Nacional arrested a man in Barcelona in May 2025 on suspicion of crimes against privacy. The arrest followed a complaint from a woman who found a video of their street conversation online with more than 700,000 views, and Spanish media reported that he allegedly touched her and tried to kiss her twice.
He had posted 329 videos, 239 of which police said involved conversations with women in which private information was obtained and published. Many of the women were reported to be foreign tourists, and the videos promoted a seduction course sold for about €3,000.
🔴 France investigates covert filming of women using smart glasses
— NewsTongue (@NewsTongueX) September 24, 2026
French authorities are investigating the secret recording of women without consent using smart glasses equipped with cameras. A victim told investigators, "I felt like I'd been tricked," describing the discovery… pic.twitter.com/bC111APJKi
The Recording Light Designed to Alert Bystanders
Meta's camera glasses have a small light beside the lens to show when they are recording. Meta said on 7 July that it was updating its glasses so the camera would be disabled if the capture LED was physically tampered with or destroyed.
The Barcelona suspect was arrested on suspicion of crimes against privacy, while France is testing its existing laws against wearable cameras. Meta's third-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses, made in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, were unveiled on 23 September, the day after the Paris announcement.
The open cases in Paris and Seoul highlight questions about how existing privacy, harassment and sexual-offence laws apply to wearable cameras and their use in public spaces.
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