Paris Just Opened a Criminal Probe Into Smart Glasses Men Use to Secretly Film Women on the Street

The Next Web (18 September 2026) reported that the Paris prosecutor's office has opened at least one criminal inquiry into sexual-harassment allegations linked to smart glasses. Silicon Republic (Suhasini Srinivasaragavan) carried the same Reuters-sourced account the same day.

This is a prosecutor inquiry into alleged harassment. It is not a CNIL fine, not a Meta product ban, and not a court verdict or named indictment.

The social pattern is men wearing camera glasses, approaching women in public, filming without permission, and uploading the videos. The prosecutor has not disclosed how many complaints arrived or whether anyone has been identified. Silicon Republic said prosecutors did not name a company or brand in their reply to Reuters.

The legal gap sits in Article 226-1 of the French Penal Code. It provides up to one year in prison and a 45,000 euro fine for recording someone without consent, but it applies to private places, not the pavement. Pure street filming may need other offences, such as harassment, if that article does not fit.

France's privacy regulator, the CNIL, ran a separate track in June. It warned that cameras and microphones in ordinary-looking eyewear can capture people almost invisibly. The CNIL told Reuters it had received fewer than 10 workplace complaints so far, plus company questions about banning the glasses on premises.

Nacera Bekhat, who handles economic matters at the CNIL, said the devices pose "real challenges" in telling people they are filmed and in getting consent. Ines Legendre, a legal expert at e-Enfance, said an indicator light is not consent to be filmed or to have the image sent on to thousands of people. Ines Girard, a researcher at the Center Hubertine Auclert, said the vigilance burden should not sit on the people being surveilled.

Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, made with EssilorLuxottica, hold about 76 percent market share in Reuters reporting. EssilorLuxottica sold about 7 million units the prior year. Since June, Meta has updated the glasses so recording stops when the indicator light is blocked. A Meta representative told Reuters privacy is built into the AI glasses.

France is not acting alone. HateAid in Germany filed a criminal complaint last month, and Australia's finance minister, Katy Gallagher, asked the public service commission about workplace bans. The UK Information Commissioner's Office has been investigating since March, and the European Data Protection Board plans a review with national authorities. Meta Connect is on 23 September, where the next generation of the glasses is expected.

Related privacy and street-surveillance tape includes hackers stealing Flock camera software, Meta AI's invasive kid prompts, and the Frankfurt court holding Meta liable for fake ads.

If you run a workplace, venue, or public-facing team in France this week, write a camera-eyewear rule that does not depend on the LED, and treat Article 226-1 as covering private rooms rather than the street unless another offence is charged.