Wetherspoon has clarified that it has not banned Meta smart glasses from its pubs, despite multiple media reports suggesting the UK pub chain had introduced a blanket restriction on the devices.
Speaking to UC Today, a Wetherspoon spokesperson said the company had not created a specific policy for smart glasses.
Instead, its existing policy against covertly recording customers or staff applies to camera-equipped wearables in the same way it applies to mobile phones.
“Wetherspoon said that photographing or videoing customers without their permission was prohibited and that, with regard to Meta glasses, our instinct was to say ‘turn the cameras off’,” the spokesperson said.
“However, Wetherspoon did not say that Meta glasses are banned, and we have not introduced a company policy specifically for smart glasses.”
Existing Rules Apply To Smart Glasses
The pub chain said its position is based on a general expectation that people in its venues should not be covertly recorded without their knowledge or permission.
“Whereas CCTV is used for security and safety reasons, our general policy, in common with many companies, is that customers or staff should not be covertly recorded without their knowledge or permission,” the spokesperson said.
“In this regard, the same rules apply to Meta glasses as for mobile phones.”
That distinction is important for venue operators considering how to respond to camera-equipped wearables.
Existing rules on filming and consent may be sufficient in some settings, while others may choose to create explicit rules covering smart glasses, livestreaming and hands-free recording.
Why Recording Glasses Raise New Questions
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses allow users to take photos and video hands-free, alongside functions including calls, music, livestreaming and AI assistance.
The company says a visible LED illuminates when the wearer is taking a photo or recording video, signalling that the camera is active.
Meta has argued that the glasses offer useful consumer and accessibility features, including hands-free communications, live translation and assistance for people who are blind, low-sighted or hard of hearing.
However, critics have questioned whether the indicator provides meaningful notice in busy, dimly lit or crowded environments. A phone lifted to record is generally conspicuous. Glasses worn as part of everyday clothing are not.
That has made the technology a focal point for concerns about non-consensual filming, particularly where footage is shared online.
The practical challenge for hospitality venues is not only setting rules, but enforcing them: staff may struggle to determine whether someone is actively recording, whether those nearby are aware, and whether the content is being livestreamed or stored.
Wetherspoon’s response places smart glasses within an existing behavioural framework. It does not prohibit the technology, but it says users must follow the same expectations around consent that apply to phones and other cameras.
Other Venues Have Taken A Tougher Approach
Other organisations have introduced more specific restrictions on Meta-style glasses.
Monopoly Events, which operates UK Comic-Con events, has banned the devices after concerns were raised by talent agencies and guests about covert filming and its effect on personal interactions. DEF CON has also prohibited camera-equipped smart glasses, including prescription versions, while several restaurants, theatres and private-members’ venues have imposed their own restrictions.
Posting on LinkedIn, Henry Angus, Head of Operations at Education Cubed, argued that the emergence of venue-by-venue rules indicates a wider regulatory problem.
“When every venue in the country is writing its own policy to ban your product because the law hasn’t, regulation isn’t optional, it’s overdue,” Angus wrote.
He also criticised Meta’s response to reports of non-consensual “pickup line” videos, arguing that removing content after publication does not address the underlying issue of consent.
“That’s treating a hardware-and-consent problem as a content-moderation clean-up job, mopping the floor while the tap runs,” he wrote.
A Policy Test For Businesses
The Wetherspoon clarification highlights the choice facing organisations as smart glasses become more common: apply existing rules consistently, or introduce device-specific restrictions.
For businesses that choose the first route, policies need to be clear that covert photography, video recording and potentially audio capture are not acceptable, regardless of whether the device is a phone, smart glasses or another wearable.
Those adopting a specific smart-glasses policy will need to define whether the restrictions cover simply wearing the device, recording, livestreaming, voice capture or all of the above. They will also need to give frontline employees clear guidance on how to approach suspected breaches.
The underlying concern is likely to grow as wearables become less conspicuous and more capable.
