EU data protection board issues a statement on smart glasses and asks makers to signal recording clearly

14 October 2026

The European Data Protection Board published a statement on the data protection challenges of smart glasses on 13 October 2026, after its latest plenary.
The statement is an initial, preliminary guidance for users, manufacturers and service providers.
It says recording should be made obvious, for example through bright LED lights, audio signals, voice activation cues, privacy-friendly smartphone notifications or distinctive designs, and that warnings must be reliable, hard to ignore and always up to date.
The board says a wearer becomes a data controller when they share photos or videos on a public social media account, or use the glasses in official, professional or political activity. Purely personal use, such as filming family or friends, falls under the household exemption in the GDPR.
Producers and providers of linked apps and services cannot transfer their own obligations to users.
EDPB Chair Anu Talus said individuals deserve clear warnings, not hidden surprises.
An accompanying report titled The connected gaze was commissioned through the board's Support Pool of Experts after a proposal by the French data protection authority.