Meta Contractors Review Intimate Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Footage

Contractors at the data annotation firm Sama in Nairobi, Kenya, have revealed they review highly sensitive and intimate footage captured by Meta Platforms Inc. Ray-Ban smart glasses. A joint investigation by Swedish newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten found that annotators label imagery for AI training, which includes videos of people undressing, using toilets, filming sex scenes, and exposing bank cards or private text messages.

The footage is collected via a live AI feature that keeps cameras and microphones active for real-time responses. Workers allege that Meta fails to properly inform users that humans review this data and claim that employees who question these protocols face swift termination. Some contractors stated they feel forced to review the content to avoid losing their employment.

Meta responded to inquiries by referring to its existing terms of service and privacy policy, which allow the company to perform manual human reviews via third-party vendors to improve services and monitor compliance. Additional concerns have emerged regarding the ease of disabling the glasses' recording LED and a leaked internal memo suggesting the company planned to launch facial recognition during a period when civil liberties groups were distracted.