Parliament also wants federal legislation to ban facial recognition
Hamburg’s parliament adopted a motion to ban smart glasses from public transport, swimming pools and saunas on Wednesday, amid rising concern over the wearable’s privacy impacts.
The motion, which originated with the socialist SPD group and the Greens, stressed that these public spaces deserve particular protection since people often have no choice but to use public transport every day and should also be able to expect privacy in pools and saunas.
Social media giant Meta, the market leader for smart glasses, has faced a string of negative headlines about abusive uses of its device in recent months. The wearable embeds a camera in the frame of the glasses, allowing users to record whatever is in front of them without needing to pull out a traditional camera or mobile.
Reports of Meta glasses being used to covertly film people – often women – and upload footage to social media have been rising amid growing adoption of the device. Meta sold seven million pairs in 2025, per its eyewear partner EssilorLuxottica.
