INVESTIGATINGTechnologyA report revealed that Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are sending video footage — including content flagged as 'sensitive' — to human data annotators in Kenya for labeling. Content that was supposed to be automatically excluded is being reviewed by low-paid workers overseas.
“A report revealed that Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are sending video footage — including content flagged as 'sensitive' — to human data annotators in Kenya for labeling. Content that was supposed to be automatically excluded is being reviewed by low-paid workers overseas.”
You thought Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses were just recording for you? A new report reveals that video captured by the glasses — including content flagged as "sensitive" — is being streamed to human data annotators in Kenya who review and label the footage. Content that was never supposed to reach human eyes is being watched by low-paid workers on the other side of the world.
9to5Mac broke the story: Meta's AI training pipeline routes video from Ray-Ban smart glasses to human workers for labeling and annotation. The system is supposed to automatically exclude sensitive content. It doesn't. Workers in Kenya are seeing footage that should have been filtered out.
When you put on a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses, you're not just recording your own life — you're recording everyone around you. People who never consented to being filmed. Private conversations in public spaces. Moments that were never meant to be captured, let alone reviewed by strangers in another country.
The workers reviewing your "sensitive" video footage are in Kenya — where labor is cheap and privacy regulations are weaker. Meta outsources the uncomfortable parts of its AI training to countries where workers have less power to object. Your privacy violation is someone else's low-wage job.
The r/privacy community erupted because this confirms what they've been warning about: wearable cameras aren't just recording — they're feeding content to human reviewers. The AI isn't doing the watching. People are.
No one's said anything yet. Be the first to drop your take.
