The British justice service HMCTS has prohibited the wearing of Meta’s camera glasses in all courts and tribunals in England and Wales since August 11, 2026. Anyone entering a court building with the device must surrender it at the entrance and will only receive it back upon leaving. The trigger was a case from January 2026, in which a witness was secretly coached during their testimony.
Courts justify the ban with existing recording rules
In British courtrooms, there has long been a ban on taking photographs or video recordings. As Engadget reports, the justice service HMCTS classifies Meta’s glasses as a violation of this rule because their camera allows recordings to be made without bystanders noticing. A spokesperson for the courts explains that clear restrictions on image and video recordings in courts and tribunals make the use of the Meta glasses impermissible. Unlike the glasses, the handling of smartphones remains unchanged: they may still be brought into the building as long as no one uses them for filming. This exception does not explicitly apply to camera glasses according to HMCTS, as a recording in progress is hardly recognizable from the outside. Affected devices are confiscated at the entrance and only returned upon leaving the building, regardless of whether a recording actually took place. The justice service is responsible for all criminal, civil, and family courts in England and Wales, and the new rule thus applies nationwide to these two regions.
A witness is coached via glasses in January
The immediate impetus for the ban was a case before the High Court, reported by Legal Futures. In January 2026, Judge Agnello KC was hearing a dispute over the management of a real estate company. During the cross-examination of the plaintiff Laimonas Jakstys, the opposing lawyer noticed unusually long pauses before his answers and background noise near him; an interpreter also perceived the noises. At the court’s direction, Jakstys had to remove his smart glasses – subsequently, his mobile phone audibly played back a voice that apparently provided him with answers. The judge interpreted this as evidence that the plaintiff had been supported or coached during the questioning and completely dismissed his testimony. She deliberately left open who exactly was providing the answers, as this was not relevant to the decision. From the court’s perspective, the case shows that smart glasses not only enable covert recordings but also manipulation of witness statements in real time.
New York and British venues are already following suit
The British step is part of a broader development. New York had already imposed a glasses ban for all 1,240 court buildings in July 2026, making it the first U.S. state to do so, after members of Mark Zuckerberg’s legal team wore the devices during a trial in Los Angeles in February. Also outside of courts, the Meta glasses are increasingly under pressure: several British pub and club chains are already restricting their use, as Eastern Eye reports. The reason is repeated reports of covert recordings, which have earned the device the nickname “Pervert Glasses” in online forums. Meta reportedly sold around seven million units worldwide in 2025, a figure that has not been independently verified. Meanwhile, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri announced that harassment content filmed with the glasses would be removed from the platform.
It remains to be seen whether other British institutions will follow the example of the courts and ban smart glasses from sensitive areas in the future – for example, in government offices or workplaces. The case is part of a growing debate about AI-supported surveillance in everyday life, which has recently gained momentum in Germany with the launch of AI-supported video surveillance in Berlin. It will be crucial whether manufacturers like Meta improve technical solutions such as clearer recording indicators before further bans are implemented or users avoid the devices in public spaces.
