Europe eyes battle over 'pervert' AI glasses

Anyone wearing smart glasses can take photos, film videos, listen to music, make phone calls, translate text or interact with an AI assistant, with sales now hitting the millions.The devices grabbed attention this summer after a marketing tie-up between Kylie Jenner, beauty mogul and member of the Kardashian dynasty, and tech giant Meta.Since smartphones are now embedded in daily life, Big Tech is increasingly looking to glasses as the next big thing in wearable technology, helped by AI's advances.A 2013 push by Google failed to take off but Meta's smart spectacles, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, have fared much better.Meta sold some seven million pairs in 2025, up from a total of two million in 2023 and 2024. Others, including Google and Snap, are also preparing to roll out AI-powered glasses.But with exponential growth came the backlash.Worries reached a peak in the summer in Europe, especially in Britain which saw intense media coverage of so-called "pervert glasses" alongisde reports that Meta is developing a facial recognition feature to be integrated into the devices.In one case, a 17-year-old girl told British broadcaster Channel 4 News in Augu...