Meta glasses banned from courts in England and Wales
techAug 11, 20261678
His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service will confiscate Meta smart glasses from anyone entering courts in England and Wales and return them when the owner leaves. HMCTS said taking images or video in courts is prohibited without permission and that no exception will be made for smart glasses, even though smartphones are allowed provided they are not used to record. The move follows concerns that the glasses can record surreptitiously and a recent high court episode in which Laimonas Jakstys was ordered to remove smart glasses after a judge said he had been "assisted or coached" while giving evidence. HMCTS does not hold figures on how often smart glasses have been used in courts. Courts in New York adopted a similar ban to prevent covert recording, and several UK venues including pubs and theatres have already barred the devices over privacy fears. Meta declined to comment on the court ban but said the glasses show a pulsing light when recording and deploy tamper detection technology to stop users covering that light.
