Meta is gearing up to launch its AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses in India soon, but a recent privacy update is sparking concerns. The company has quietly changed its data collection rules, and now, users won’t be able to stop the glasses from recording and storing their voice interactions by default—a move that’s already raising privacy red flags.
Privacy settings updated ahead of India launch
While Meta hasn’t revealed an exact release date for India yet, the company has sent out a revised privacy policy to users worldwide. According to The Verge, Meta’s smart glasses will now automatically save all voice interactions with its AI assistant. Importantly, users no longer have the option to opt out of this data collection.
In the past, you could turn off voice recording features, but that’s no longer the case. Although you can still manually delete your saved voice data, you’ll need to head into the settings every time to do it.
Camera recording is also switched on by default
Meta’s email to Ray-Ban users highlights another big change: the glasses’ camera will now work with Meta AI by default. If you want to stop this, you’ll need to disable the trigger phrase “Hey Meta.”
The email explains:
“Meta AI with camera use is always active unless you turn off ‘Hey Meta.’ Voice recordings are stored by default and may be used to improve AI at Meta and across other Meta products.”
What about your photos and videos?
Meta says photos and videos captured with the glasses stay saved locally on your device—unless you choose to upload them to Meta platforms like Instagram. However, if you use Meta AI features or turn on cloud processing, Meta can access that content to improve its services.
You can still disable Meta AI (but there’s a catch)
The company insists that users still have control—but only if they turn off the “Hey Meta” voice command entirely. If you don’t, your voice and camera data will keep being collected and stored automatically.
India launch coming soon
Meta first introduced Ray-Ban Stories back in 2021 and rolled out its second-generation model in 2023. These AI-powered glasses offer features like real-time translation, hands-free messaging, phone calls, music streaming, and quick photo/video capture. As Meta gets closer to its India launch, users will need to weigh the convenience of AI against their privacy concerns.
