Europe Issues Smart Glasses Guidance as 67% of Respondents Voice Privacy Concerns

Key Facts

The European Data Protection Board adopted a declaration on connected glasses, according to France's data protection authority, amid privacy concerns expressed by 67% of respondents to a survey conducted by the authority. The declaration addresses this category of devices, which enable photography and recording, and the accompanying concerns about recording passersby without their knowledge. The French authority said the document provides initial guidance for users, manufacturers and service providers, including the responsibilities of those involved and transparency around recording. Its concerns include whether people around glasses wearers can tell they are being filmed and consent to recording and the use of their data. The authority considers recording indicators, including lights, insufficiently visible to those around the wearer. It described these indicators as having "limited range and therefore appearing inadequate," in an assessment of how people who may appear in recordings are alerted.

In France, Reuters reported in September that prosecutors had opened a criminal investigation into women being filmed with smart glasses without their consent and the footage being published. The incidents involved devices whose brand prosecutors did not identify, while the report also covered regulators' and companies' positions on the technology's risks. France's data protection authority told Reuters it had received fewer than 10 complaints about the use of smart glasses in workplaces as of the report's publication. The workplace thus represents another area of complaints, alongside the filming of women and publication of footage covered by the criminal investigation. In a response carried by the agency, a Meta spokesperson said the company had "built privacy into the design of AI glasses from the outset." EssilorLuxottica declined to comment to Reuters on the growing scrutiny of smart glasses.

The developments come amid rapid expansion in the AI glasses market, with global shipments rising 263% year on year in the first half of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. The firm linked the increase to broader product lineups, expanding the choices available within this category of devices. It also attributed part of the shipment growth to entry into new markets in the Asia-Pacific region, extending the products' geographical reach. The drivers it identified included increased promotional activity across global retail channels, alongside broader product offerings and market expansion. Counterpoint's assessment covered the global market's performance during the first half, when these commercial drivers coincided with shipment growth compared with the same period a year earlier.

At EssilorLuxottica, the group said AI glasses sales exceeded 7 million units during fiscal 2025, according to its annual performance disclosure. On profitability, the group's adjusted operating margin was 16.0% at constant exchange rates, according to the same disclosure. The margin was down 70 basis points from 2024, the decline the company reported in its annual comparison. The group attributed the margin pressure to U.S. tariffs and AI glasses in its explanation of profitability during the fiscal year. The glasses were thus cited among the reasons for pressure on the operating margin, alongside the sales volume the group reported for these products. The financial comparison covered the group's adjusted operating margin at constant exchange rates, while the glasses sales total represented the number of units sold during the year.

In the first quarter of 2026, EssilorLuxottica's revenue reached 7,127 million euros, according to the group's results statement for the period. Revenue rose 10.8% year on year at constant exchange rates, the measure the company also used to present growth in subsequent periods. At current exchange rates, first-quarter revenue grew 4.1% year on year, according to the same financial statement. The company's first-half financial presentation showed group revenue growth of 9.7% at constant exchange rates compared with the corresponding period. Second-quarter revenue growth was 8.7% on the same basis, according to the presentation covering the group's first-half performance. The pace of growth in the second quarter was therefore slower than in the first quarter and below the growth rate recorded for the first half as a whole.

In its coverage of the first-half results, Investing.com reported that AI glasses revenue nearly doubled from a year earlier. The increase covered revenue from the glasses category itself within EssilorLuxottica's business during the period covered by the half-year results. In trading, the coverage updated in July reported a 2.1% rise in the company's shares following the first-half results announcement. The platform recorded the increase at 07:43 GMT in morning trading, in a move that followed the financial results at the time. The next financial disclosure listed on the company's calendar is its third-quarter revenue announcement, which EssilorLuxottica scheduled for 20 October 2026.