The next time you go on a cruise ship you may want to check out its luggage and prohibited items policy, especially if you own a set of smart glasses. While plenty of people use their phones to snap selfies or other vacation pics, the Swedish MSC Cruises company is cracking down on the use smart glasses to record people in public areas.
The company recently added smart glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta spectacles to its ban list (via Cruise Hive). MSC updated its luggage and prohibited items policy with new language banning anything that can secretly record videos or pictures from public areas
“Devices capable of covertly or discreetly recording or transmitting data (e.g. smart glasses) are not allowed in ships public areas,” the policy reads.
If you’re caught with a pair, Port Security will confiscate the item. The company has clarified that the glasses can be used in personal cabins, non-public spaces or when guests are ashore.
Many smart glasses, like the Ray-Bans, include small LED lights that indicate when a camera is recording. Still, people have discovered ways to bypass the LED lights and some could argue that the tiny light could be missed in bright or crowded spaces.
MSC is clearly concerned that smart glasses are a more serious risk to customer privacy than smartphones, since it’s easier to tell when someone is recording with a phone. It’s also possible the company is seeking to avoid staged events committed for likes online.
Analyst Avi Greengart of Techsponential believes MSC is likely reacting accordingly because the company probably experienced instances of bad behavior.
"However, practically speaking, everyone is carrying a connected camera-equipped surveillance device on them at all times already," he said.
Smart glasses backlash
Smart glasses are an interesting, uncertain new-ish technology that may be receiving its first round of backlash after the failure of Google Glass more than a decade ago. At the time, the term “glasshole” was coined for Glass wearers who seemed to have little regard for the privacy of people around them.
A little over a week ago, a woman in New York went viral for breaking a TikToker’s Meta Ray-Ban glasses. She was recorded by the influencer with what I can only describe as a satisfied staredown. The comments on the video are largely in favor of her actions.
“Good, people are tired of being filmed by strangers,” one user commented.
There are plenty of reports of Gen Z kids rejecting smart glasses over privacy concerns. And in October, San Francisco University issued warnings about a man surreptitiously recording students and faculty using Meta glasses.
"We don't notice people walking around looking at their phones — even though they might be recording — because it's ubiquitous," said Greengart who believes we won't notice smart glasses in the same way soon since they look like normal glasses.
Next year will likely prove a pivot point for smart glasses as companies like Samsung and Google are expected to release their Android XR peepers to compete with Meta. Plus, there are rumors that Apple is working on its own Apple Glasses that could debut in 2026 as well.
Disney is taking the opposite approach
For now, MSC Cruises is the only cruise line we’re aware of with this ban. Carnival Cruise Line, for example, allows “Google-type glasses” in public areas but not during gangway operations, when you’re getting on and off the ship.Disney, however, is apparently all in on smart glasses and AI, pitching them as a way to enhance experiences onboard.
"We can begin to overlay magical things that would be very difficult to do otherwise,” Walt Disney Imagineering President and CEO Bruce Vaughn reportedly told USA Today. He also said that he views the glasses as a practical way to impart information without having guests distracted by their phones.
Disney’s Imagineers are definitely testing out new ways of using smart glassesto change how you explore Disney Parks, from guided tour experiences delivered through the glasses to trivia and information about specific things you see in the world. So even as some companies are cracking down on smart glasses in public, others are figuring out new ways to market products through them.
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