Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating Meta AI Glasses for potentially collecting and sharing Texans’ personal data.
Although Meta advertises the glasses as being “designed for privacy” and protecting the personal information of users, Paxton has raised concerns as to the truth of these claims.
Paxton alleges that employees of Meta’s Kenya-based subcontractor, Sama, have full access to consumers’ private information. Annotators from Sama have claimed that they “have access to video material of users’ private moments, such as bathroom visits and other intimate moments.”
Any faces that appear in annotated data are automatically blurred according to employees, but one employee noted that this is not always the case.
“I will continue to relentlessly stand up to any company that threatens the privacy and safety of Texans,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Meta’s glasses raise serious concerns, and my office will thoroughly investigate these devices to ensure that no individual is being unlawfully recorded, tracked, or subjected to the unauthorized collection of their data.”
Meta AI Glasses are smart glasses equipped with cameras, speakers, and other communication tools that enable users to capture and share data.
Paxton alleges that the glasses’ privacy notes reveal that the glasses are automatically switched to “always enabled” mode, allowing the device to constantly process video data for use with other Meta AI products. Although the product has a small LED indicator that activates when the device is recording audio and video, this indicator is easily hidden and is not active in “always enabled” mode.
Another concern Paxton cited is the indication that Meta plans to bring facial recognition technology to the product, allowing Meta to collect consumers’ facial geometry from the glasses’ built-in cameras.
Paxton has issued a civil investigation demand to Meta to “investigate and determine whether Meta deceptively misrepresents the extent of its use of private data from consumers in violation of Texas law.”
In 2024, Paxton secured a settlement with Meta over alleged unlawful facial recognition software found in its program. At the time of the $1.4 billion settlement, it was the largest ever from an action by a single state.
