Digitallord-

Meta is facing a lawsuit in the United States after workers at a Kenya-based subcontractor were found to be reviewing footage from users’ Ray-Ban smart glasses, including content showing nudity, people having sex, and individuals using the toilet.

The story first broke following an investigation by Swedish newspapers, which prompted the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office to launch its own probe into the matter. The US lawsuit followed.

The complaint was filed by Gina Bartone of New Jersey and Mateo Canu of California, represented by the Clarkson Law Firm, alleging privacy law violations and false advertising. The firm has previously filed major lawsuits against Apple, Google, and OpenAI.

The plaintiffs point directly to Meta’s own marketing. Ads for the glasses carried promises like “designed for privacy, controlled by you” and “built for your privacy”, none of which disclosed that overseas workers could be reviewing captured footage. Meta claimed it was blurring faces in reviewed images, though sources disputed that this blurring consistently worked.

Meta defended the practice, saying contractors review content shared with Meta AI solely to improve user experience, and that this is disclosed in its privacy policy. The disclosure, however, was found buried in supplemental terms of service — not in the advertisements plaintiffs relied upon.

Over seven million people purchased the glasses in 2025. Users cannot opt out of the data review pipeline. Meta declined to comment on the lawsuit itself.

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