Dutch court could ban Meta's AI glasses this week over secret filming scandal

Dutch privacy groups are going to court this week to try to force Meta to stop selling its AI-powered camera glasses in the Netherlands. The emergency legal action follows revelations that hundreds — possibly thousands — of Dutch women and girls were secretly filmed with the glasses, with footage shared on Telegram and on so-called "creepshot" websites.

For internationals in the Netherlands, the case is a crash course in how Dutch privacy law works — and it could affect what you can legally wear on your face.

What happened

Meta's camera glasses look like ordinary spectacles, with only a small white LED showing when the camera is recording. That light can be covered with a sticker. Since launching, the glasses have sold in the millions worldwide, including thousands in the Netherlands. But NL Times reported on October 1 that victims had been filmed on beaches, shopping streets and even in bathrooms, and that footage was circulating online.

Offlimits, a Dutch organisation that fights online sexual abuse, said victims were already contacting its helpline. Together with The Firewall Foundation, a privacy watchdog, Offlimits sent Meta a formal notice demanding two things: stop selling the glasses in the Netherlands, and stop processing footage made without people's explicit consent. Meta let the deadline pass without responding.

On October 12, Meta publicly refused. Alex Himmel, the head of Meta's eyewear division, defended the product in a video while wearing the glasses himself, pointing to the indicator light and blaming "bad actors" for misuse. The next day, Offlimits confirmed to NL Times that it was preparing summary proceedings, with an emergency hearing expected as early as Wednesday or Thursday.

What the court case asks

Offlimits and The Firewall are seeking a kort geding — an expedited Dutch civil procedure that can produce a judgment within days, rather than months or years. They want the judge to order Meta to halt sales of the glasses in the Netherlands and to stop processing footage captured with them.

Their lawyer, Otto Volgenant, argues that Meta itself is breaking the law. "Secretly filming other people is contrary to the fundamental right to privacy, violates the GDPR, and is often even a criminal offence," he said. "All recordings end up in Meta's systems. Meta itself violates the GDPR, and Meta itself is committing an offence by processing all that."

Meta's response has drawn sharp criticism. "It is always the user's fault — never the fact that a product is brought to market that makes abuse easy," Robbert Hoving, Offlimits' director, told the Amsterdam paper Het Parool. "The company washes its hands of the matter while making huge profits."

What this means for you

The immediate consequences depend on what the judge decides. A sales ban would not automatically force a recall of glasses already sold — but it would create a strong precedent in the Netherlands for how surveillance-style consumer hardware is treated under privacy law.

Even before any ruling, be aware: secretly filming someone in a place where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy — such as a bathroom, changing room, or even a private home — is a criminal offence in the Netherlands under Article 139f of the Criminal Code. The indicator light on the glasses does not give you legal cover to record people without their consent. If you own a pair, the safest approach is to assume that filming others in intimate or private settings is both unlawful and socially unacceptable.

If you believe you have been filmed without consent, Offlimits runs a helpline that has already received reports from victims of this kind of abuse.

Why it matters beyond the courtroom

DutchNews.nl writes that the organisations are arguing the glasses breach Dutch criminal law protecting people from being photographed or filmed without consent. The Firewall Foundation frames the case in broader terms: the glasses represent "a new step toward normalising surveillance by big tech companies," and pose a threat to democratic rights like the freedom to protest or vote without being watched.

Some Dutch venues have already taken matters into their own hands. Several music halls banned the glasses after a man was caught filming women near the toilets at a festival in August, and campaigners warn of the devices being used to film children in sports halls, playgrounds and nurseries.

The court's decision, expected within days, will be watched closely not just in the Netherlands but across Europe — because it could determine whether one of Meta's flagship wearable products is allowed on Dutch shelves at all.