Cybersecurity Policy Report, Smart Glasses Pose New Threat to Personal Privacy, French Agency Says, (May 11, 2026)

By Tony Foley

Citing the results of a survey launched at the beginning of the year exploring the relationship and the perception that French people have regarding smart glasses, the French data protection authority, the Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL), said ongoing development of the technology had aroused curiosity among the public while also generating feelings of mistrust and concern.

In a press release today, CNIL discussed the development of smart glasses, which contain sensors within the frame connected to the user’s mobile phone and can capture videos and images of the user’s surroundings.

CNIL’s survey was conducted between Jan. 22-29 and sampled over 2,100 people over age 18. The results showed that the majority of respondents (67%) claimed that smart glasses threatened privacy.

The press release outlines the privacy protection issues involved in the use of smart glasses under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDOR) and French data protection law, including the likelihood that they could surreptitiously capture sounds, images, and videos from people in their vicinity. By facilitating the capture of data from an everyday object that does not usually have this purpose, CNIL said, the devices are particularly intrusive. “Unlike a mobile phone that you have to take out and orient and that only sees what its [owner] shows it, glasses film everything that [their] wearer looks at,” the release said. “There is therefore a significant risk that glasses will not be identified as ‘connected’ by people in their field of capture.”

The agency also contended that the rise of connected glasses could lead to a significant risk of generalized surveillance and a form of trivialization of such activities. In addition, the use of these devices in places like doctors’ offices, changing rooms, and toilets, where a high degree of privacy is expected, raise legal and ethical issues, it said.

CNIL called for increased collective vigilance in the use of smart glasses, pointing out the necessity to maintain a balance between innovation and respect for the rights and freedoms of individuals. Users of smart glasses must respect the right to privacy of the people whose image or voice is likely to be picked up by the glasses and, where necessary, to obtain their consent. In connection with these observations, CNIL said it had launched work on the compliance of smart glasses regarding personal data protection, including an analysis of the legal and technical issues involved in connection with its European counterparts and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). In addition, to the extent that the issues go beyond the framework of data protection, CNIL said it would discuss them with other competent legal authorities.

The release concludes with a list of best practices for smart glasses users, including informing nearby people when using smart glasses, turning off pickup features when they are no longer needed, turning off smart glasses whenever they are asked to turn off their phones, avoiding use of the glasses in area where people don’t expect them, and making sure to obtain consent for using photos or videos before posting them on social media.

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