The Global Story - Smart glasses or ‘pervert glasses’?
Download Smart glasses or ‘pervert glasses’?
At a recent Meta product launch, Mark Zuckerberg promised that the company’s smart glasses would give wearers “new superpowers”, but what are they?
Amid criticisms of its privacy and child protection policies, Meta is betting big on smart glasses as a way to restyle the company’s image, but they too have caused controversy – dubbed by critics ‘pervert glasses’ because they have been used to film women without their knowledge.
So why are Meta and other big tech firms investing billions in this tech? Who is it for? Lily Jamali, the BBC’s North America technology correspondent, joins us to explain.
Producer: Hannah Moore
Executive producers: James Shield and Martine Powers
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wears the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in California. Credit: Reuters/Carlos Barria/File Photo.
Published on Tuesday, 6th October 2026.
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