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Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses will go on sale in India starting May 19, with pre-orders already available on the official Ray-Ban website. The device comes equipped with AI features including hands-free photo capture, real-time translation, and voice commands.
While the product is marketed as a hands-free, AI-powered tool, its launch raises privacy concerns that India’s current data protection laws have yet to resolve.
Privacy Risk: No Clear Indication When Recording Is Happening
Most people can easily tell when someone is filming with a phone camera. That’s not the case here. Meta includes a small LED indicator on the glasses that lights up when the camera is recording, but if the LED is covered or blocked, the recording continues without interruption. The system only sends a reminder—it doesn’t stop the process.
This setup places full responsibility on the wearer. In public spaces like cafes, metros, or places of worship, bystanders often remain unaware that someone is recording. The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act does not currently require users to inform others when recording in public spaces, though there may be exceptions based on the context. It also does not mandate that the LED indicator remain visible. If users choose to ignore it, people around them have no way to know they’re being recorded.
DPDP Act: Gaps in Protection
The DPDP Act, passed in 2023, outlines how digital data should be handled. However, it excludes personal recordings and content already shared in public, creating a loophole when it comes to smart glasses. A user can claim that footage is personal—even if others appear in it—leaving those individuals without legal protection.
The 2025 draft rules allow users to access, correct, or erase their data, but only if they have a formal link to the platform, such as a user ID or account. Bystanders—people recorded incidentally in public spaces—do not have that link and therefore can’t exercise these rights.
The Act gives control only to those who actively use a service, defining a ‘Data Principal’ as someone whose data is processed by a known entity with whom they have a direct relationship. If Meta doesn’t assign an account or store personal records for someone caught incidentally in a recording, that person exists entirely outside the system.
While the law allows individuals to file complaints about misuse of their data, this too requires being part of the platform. For bystanders, there is no clear way to raise concerns, ask for removal, or even be notified if they’re recorded.
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Meta Advises Users, but Leaves Enforcement Open
Meta outlines a set of usage guidelines on its privacy website for AI glasses. It asks users to turn off the device in sensitive spaces such as clinics or places of worship. It also recommends stopping a recording if someone nearby objects, and encourages wearers to explain how the LED indicator works.
But Meta doesn’t require any of these actions. The platform doesn’t clarify how its glasses comply with Indian privacy law. And if someone appears in a recording without being a registered user, they have no clear way to raise a concern or request action through the app.
Why This Matters
Wearable devices are changing how people collect data. Instead of deliberate, visible moments of capture, these tools can record continuously and often without notice. The DPDP Act and its draft rules give users some ability to control their own information. But the law does not address what happens when someone else is pulled into that data especially without consent.
As more people start using smart glasses, the lack of protection for bystanders will become harder to ignore. These devices can record or translate interactions as they happen, often in real time. The people being recorded might not know it’s happening, and they have no clear way to respond.
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