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The proliferation of wearable gadgets with built-in cameras is facing serious pushback in the UK. Elite London restaurants, private members' clubs, and major pub chains are massively updating their house rules, introducing a strict ban on the use of Meta (Ray-Ban) smart glasses, reports Hypebeast.

This trend reflects a deep cultural conflict between modern technology and people's right to privacy. While developers offer convenient streaming and first-person POV recording, hospitality industry leaders are drawing a clear red line to protect public and private spaces from covert video surveillance.

One of the largest chains to implement this restriction is Wetherspoons, which rolled out the ban across all 800 of its venues throughout England and Ireland. Company founder Tim Martin stated that such devices violate the fundamental rule prohibiting the filming of patrons and staff without their explicit consent. According to him, the ban is a common-sense approach to protecting personal space from secret observation, equating hidden recording to annoyingly playing loud videos.

The wave of bans has also swept through the premium sector:

• Renowned restaurateur Jeremy King has completely banned the gadget across his top London establishments, including Arlington, The Park, and Simpsons in the Strand. King emphasized that he opposes any intrusions into guests' privacy that go beyond natural human sight.

• The private members' club Soho House has also introduced similar restrictions and now asks visitors to completely remove such glasses upon entry.

The unanimity across such diverse segments of the hospitality industry proves that society is increasingly rejecting the very idea of normalizing covert surveillance of people while they relax and dine.

Ineffective Safeguards from Meta

Event organizers are joining the movement as well. The ATG Theatres chain requires patrons to remove the controversial frames during performances, and Monopoly Events has implemented a direct ban on them at its Comic-Con festivals following numerous complaints about unauthorized recording.

Meanwhile, representatives from Meta insist that Ray-Ban smart glasses are equipped with built-in safety features—such as a flashing LED indicator light that illuminates while recording. The corporation has even implemented anti-tampering measures that disable the camera if someone attempts to tape over or cover the light.

However, venue owners remain firm: in their view, no technological safeguards can mitigate the social risks or protect guests' right to privacy.

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