The Lahore High Court issued notices to the federal government, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the commerce ministry and other authorities on a petition challenging the unregulated import and sale of smart glasses fitted with cameras and microphones. The petitioner argues that the devices pose a threat to privacy, dignity and national security.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum heard the public interest petition, filed by citizen Husnainul Abideen, and directed the respondents to submit their replies by October 8. Advocate Shahram Saqi, representing the petitioner, told the court that Ray-Ban Meta and similar smart glasses resemble ordinary eyewear but can secretly photograph, record and live stream anyone within the wearer’s view. He argued that these features distinguish the devices from mobile phones and conflict with constitutional protections for liberty, dignity and privacy.
The counsel said Meta has not officially listed Pakistan as a market for the glasses, yet they are openly sold online and in shops in Lahore, including Hafeez Centre. He pointed to concerns raised by regulators in Ireland, Italy and Germany, as well as bans on the devices in courts in England and Wales and in New York. The petitioner asked the court to declare unrestricted use of the glasses incompatible with the Constitution, and sought directions to prohibit their import, review existing PTA approvals, bar the glasses from courts, airports and government offices, stop customs clearance of related consignments, and require the cybercrime agency to disclose any related complaints it has received.
Meta launched its smart glasses with Ray-Ban in 2023, and the devices have drawn scrutiny internationally since. There have been multiple reports of the glasses being used to film people without consent, with pubs, theatres, some schools and a naval base in the UK having banned them, along with the Comic-Con convention. The glasses carry a white LED that lights up during recording, though workarounds to disable it have emerged; Meta has said fewer than 0.1 percent of frames sold have been tampered with in this way. Ray-Ban’s parent company, EssilorLuxottica, reported selling seven million pairs of the smart glasses last year, while a campaign called Stop Smart Glasses, led by tech founder Liz Hunter, has called for the devices to be restricted to use by blind individuals, for whom they can read text aloud and describe surroundings.
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