German group files a criminal complaint over Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses

German digital-rights group HateAid has reportedly filed a criminal complaint over Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, arguing the camera-equipped eyewear lets wearers secretly film and record people around them.

The complaint was lodged with Frankfurt’s cybercrime prosecution unit and names Meta Platforms Technologies Ireland, Ray-Ban and Oakley owner EssilorLuxottica, and retailers Fielmann, Apollo-Optik, Mister Spex and MediaMarkt over the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Gen 2, according to reporting dated August 12, 2026.

HateAid argues the device violates Section 8 of Germany’s TDDDG data-protection law, which bans devices disguised as everyday objects that can secretly film or record people. Section 27 carries penalties of up to two years in prison plus confiscation of profits. The group said the glasses are “close to impossible to tell apart” from the camera-free version and demanded a sales halt and tamper-resistant, clearly visible recording indicators.

The complaint escalates a regulatory question already circling wearable cameras: whether a recording LED is enough to protect bystanders who never consented. Hamburg’s data-protection commissioner, Thomas Fuchs, tested the glasses and said in late July that a ban was possible after finding the recording light insufficiently visible in everyday use.

A criminal complaint compels prosecutors to review, not to charge, and Frankfurt’s cybercrime unit has not said whether it will open a formal investigation. Meta has previously defended the glasses’ privacy indicators; the company has not publicly responded to this filing.