Paris prosecutors open criminal probes into non-consensual filming of women with smart glasses
The Paris prosecutor's office has launched multiple criminal inquiries into individuals using camera-equipped smart glasses to secretly film women in public and post the videos online, with offenses carrying up to two years in prison and 45,000-euro fines.
Judicial action in Paris
On 22 September 2026, the Paris prosecutor's office announced the opening of multiple criminal investigations after receiving complaints from women filmed in public streets without their consent using smart glasses. The prosecutor's office did not disclose the brand names or manufacturers named in the legal filings. The investigations focus on the public dissemination of visual or audio content via online communications services without the subject's authorization. French judicial authorities indicated that multiple victims came forward following encounters in urban areas where passersby used wearable tech to record them covertly. Under French criminal law, transmitting or distributing non-consensual recordings of an individual carries penalties of up to two years of imprisonment and a fine of up to 45,000 euros.
Social media harassment and assault charges
The legal intervention follows alerts regarding an online phenomenon of uploading surreptitiously recorded footage of women to digital platforms. The child protection organization e-Enfance, which manages France's national 3018 helpline for victims of digital violence, issued a formal warning on 8 September 2026 about the circulation of humiliating video recordings produced with camera-equipped eyewear. In addition to privacy violations, prosecutors confirmed that several opened cases include sexual assault charges when unauthorized recordings occurred alongside non-consensual physical contact.
There is a rising trend on social networks of filming women in the street with smart glasses without their consent and posting the videos online.
Device proliferation and cybercrime testing
Smart glasses, developed through commercial partnerships between eyewear makers and technology corporations such as Google and Meta, integrate outward-facing cameras, microphones, internet connectivity, and live-streaming technology. The hardware allows users to record video, capture still images, make calls, translate text, and stream directly to social networks. In 2025, global sales of the smart glasses line developed by Meta and Ray-Ban reached 7 million units. In September 2026, the cybercrime department of the Paris prosecutor's office conducted dedicated technical evaluations on smart glasses to identify potential criminal liabilities. Investigators found that wearers could covertly capture sensitive digital data, such as private cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases, to siphon financial assets.
- Meta and Ray-Ban sell 7 million smart glasses worldwide.
- Hamburg lawmakers propose banning wearable recording devices in public baths and saunas.
- French child protection group e-Enfance warns of escalating humiliation videos online.
- Paris cybercrime investigators conduct technical testing on smart glasses capabilities.
- Paris prosecutors announce multiple criminal inquiries into non-consensual recordings.
Municipal restrictions and German pushback
Concerns over camera-equipped eyewear have extended across Europe, prompting municipal debates in Germany over public space prohibitions. In Hamburg, 28-year-old resident Zeina Abou Taha was filmed on the street without her consent by a smart glasses wearer, with the resulting footage circulating online accompanied by abusive comments. In response to mounting incidents, political factions in Hamburg introduced legislative proposals ahead of the early September Bürgerschaft parliamentary session. A proposal submitted by Die Linke seeks to ban smart glasses and all portable recording devices from municipal swimming complexes, including bathing zones, lounging lawns, changing cubicles, showers, toilets, and saunas. A supplementary motion submitted by the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party proposes expanding this ban across the city's public transport network.
