Ray-Ban Meta glasses hit with a criminal complaint in Germany, alongside the shops selling them

HateAid is a German non-profit that works on digital violence. The group has now filed a criminal complaint over the sale of Meta's camera glasses in Germany. It names the management of Meta Platforms Technologies Ireland, Ray-Ban and Oakley — both under Luxottica — along with retailers Fielmann, Apollo-Optik, Mister Spex and MediaMarkt. The filing went to ZIT, the cybercrime unit at the Frankfurt prosecutor's office.

Section 8 of the TDDDG, Germany's telecommunications and digital services data protection act, bans placing on the market any device disguised as an everyday object and intended to film or listen in on people unnoticed. Section 27 makes that a criminal offence carrying a fine or up to two years in prison, plus confiscation of profits. HateAid singles out the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Gen 2: because it is built on one of the best-selling sunglasses ever made. The group argues that it is close to impossible to tell apart from the camera-free version.

HateAid wants sales halted and mandatory safety-by-design measures. More specifically, they want recording indicators that bystanders can actually notice and that cannot be tampered with.

Hamburg data protection commissioner Thomas Fuchs tested the glasses and found the recording LED insufficiently visible in everyday use. In late July, he said that a ban was possible. However, his office cannot order one; that power sits with the Federal Network Agency, which has been reviewing the question. BNetzA told Reuters on Wednesday it is monitoring the market without formally investigating, and that sale and ownership stay legal so long as recording is clearly signalled.

MediaMarktSaturn said it takes the complaint seriously (mentioned in the Reuters report) and that suppliers are contractually bound to comply with the law. Mister Spex said it had not been formally notified. A complaint is not an investigation — anyone can lodge one, and it's up to prosecutors to decide what follows.