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I think you’re framing this as a zero-sum issue — that giving someone the ability to use smart glasses automatically strips everyone else of their rights. That’s not how this works.

First, in most public spaces in the United States, there is no legal expectation of privacy. That standard already applies to smartphones, dashcams, security cameras, GoPros, and even doorbell cameras. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses don’t create a new legal reality — they exist within the same one that’s been in place for decades.

Second, the idea that this is about “surreptitious” recording ignores the built-in safeguards. The glasses have a mandatory recording LED that cannot simply be covered to keep filming — the device literally won’t record if you block it. That’s more transparency than most phones provide. With a phone, someone can appear to be texting while recording. With these glasses, there’s a visible signal by design.

On the SAT example — schools banning devices during exams isn’t new or unique to smart glasses. Phones, smartwatches, calculators, even certain headphones have all been restricted in testing environments. That’s not evidence that the technology itself is unethical; it’s just normal policy adapting to new tools. We don’t ban smartphones from society because they’re banned in testing centers.

Your suggestion about walking around openly holding up a phone and announcing you’re recording isn’t really comparable. Social norms matter. If someone walks around aggressively filming people at close range, they’ll make others uncomfortable whether they’re using a phone, a DSLR, or anything else. That’s a behavior issue, not a hardware issue. The same social expectations would apply to someone misusing smart glasses.

The reality is that most people using them are doing very ordinary things — hands-free calls, music, quick photos of things happening in real time, or using AI features for accessibility and convenience. The overwhelming majority of users aren’t trying to secretly surveil strangers.

Every new recording technology has triggered fear at first. Camera phones did. GoPros did. Even early portable camcorders did. Society adjusted, etiquette developed, and life continued.

You may personally find the concept uncomfortable — that’s fair. But discomfort doesn’t automatically equal a loss of rights. The legal framework hasn’t changed. The social norms haven’t collapsed. And the device was intentionally designed with visible safeguards to address exactly the concerns you’re raising.

Calling it “creepy” assumes malicious intent. Most of the time, it’s just another evolution of the camera that’s already been in everyone’s pocket for 20 years.

As for creeps getting in trouble, good. Lock up anyone who takes pics in bathrooms or changing rooms.

This is clearly a generational issue, and we're unlikely to ever see eye to eye on this.