Would you notice the camera?
Would you know if someone’s glasses were recording you? Smart glasses can combine ordinary-looking frames with cameras, microphones and an internet connection. Their discreet appearance creates a privacy problem: people nearby may not realise they are being recorded or understand who is using information about them and why.
On 13 October 2026, the European Data Protection Board adopted Statement 1/2026 on smart glasses. It offers preliminary guidance under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), its law governing the use of personal data—information about individuals. The statement provides guidance on existing law; it is not a new recording law.
What makes a recording signal useful?
The Board recommends making recording obvious through signals such as bright indicator lights, sounds or distinctive designs. Those signals should be reliable and hard to overlook. For you as a bystander, a useful signal answers the immediate question: is recording happening now? The Board also highlights the wider need to understand who is using your information and for what purpose.
In this hypothetical example, you record friends during a picnic while nearby visitors enter the frame. Consider telling your friends before recording and checking whether others can notice the signal. Before sharing the clip publicly, consider whether it includes people who had no reason to expect that audience.
Private use and public sharing differ
The household exemption excludes purely personal activities from the GDPR’s scope. The Board gives private recordings of family or friends as examples, while identifying sharing on a public social media account as a use that brings GDPR responsibilities. Actual use matters: calling a recording “personal” does not settle the question. Other laws may still apply even where the exemption does.
Before recording, consider three questions: who could enter the frame, how would they notice, and where will the recording go? If public sharing is your aim, consider that wider audience before pressing record.