The UK Cinema Association has indicated that cinema operators across the country are contemplating restrictions on customers wearing Meta’s smart glasses due to concerns about unauthorized film recording. While no formal bans have been implemented by members to date, many venues are developing policies to prohibit or restrict camera-enabled smart glasses in their facilities.
The glasses, priced at £359, have generated significant controversy and faced bans at various establishments including restaurants, theaters, pubs, and courtrooms. Critics have labeled them with derisive nicknames, citing privacy and surveillance concerns. The UKCA acknowledged that operators must weigh piracy and privacy risks against potential benefits the AI-enabled technology offers to patrons with accessibility needs, such as customizable subtitles for people with visual impairments or hearing loss.
Meta has implemented a small LED indicator that activates when the glasses record, along with updated tamper-detection technology designed to prevent users from obscuring the light during filming. Despite these measures, reports have emerged of individuals being recorded without their knowledge or consent, reinforcing cinema operators’ piracy concerns.
Other entertainment venues in the UK have already adopted stricter approaches. ATG Theatres, operator of multiple London theaters and prominent venues including the Bristol Hippodrome and Edinburgh Playhouse, prohibits filming during performances and will ask patrons wearing the glasses to remove them. Similarly, Tim Martin, chief executive of the Wetherspoons pub chain, indicated the company would discourage camera use on the glasses, citing existing policies against filming customers and employees without permission.
Meta’s spokesperson defended the technology, highlighting its utility for music listening, translation, and hands-free communication, while emphasizing its importance for blind and low-vision users. The company contended that consistent rules should apply across venues and noted that its glasses include a visible recording indicator, a feature absent from conventional smartphones and cameras.
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