Smart glasses users in the UAE may unknowingly violate strict privacy laws by recording people without consent. With Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses now available in the region, legal experts warn that capturing video or audio in public spaces could lead to hefty fines or jail time under the country’s Cybercrime Law and Personal Data Protection Law.
The growing popularity of smart glasses in the UAE is raising legal red flags, with experts warning that users may unintentionally violate strict privacy laws simply by wearing the devices in public.
Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses, which allow users to capture photos and videos hands-free, launched in the UAE in May. The glasses feature a small light to indicate when recording is active—but that may not be enough to keep users within the bounds of the law.
“When someone wears Augmented Reality glasses, it’s not just their data being captured—it’s everyone around them,” says Kavya Pearlman, founder and CEO of X Reality Safety Intelligence.
Legal experts say that under UAE law, recording someone without consent is a serious offense. The country’s Cybercrime Law, Penal Code, and Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) all prohibit the filming or photographing of individuals without their permission, regardless of intent or whether the material is shared.
“Users may not realise that simply walking through a crowded space or into a coffee shop while recording exposes them to legal liability,” says Samuel Moore, a paralegal at BSA Law.
The PDPL classifies any audio or visual material that can be linked to an identifiable person as personal data. Processing such data without consent is considered a breach of the law. Moreover, the UAE’s Cybercrime Law applies even when there’s no malicious intent behind the recording.
Violations can result in a minimum of six months in jail or fines of up to AED 500,000.
Beyond video and audio, the biometric data collected by smart glasses—such as facial recognition or voice data—adds another layer of legal complexity. The PDPL restricts the transfer of personal data to countries that lack equivalent privacy protections, making cloud-based storage outside the UAE a compliance concern for global tech companies.
“This can be a compliance hurdle for global tech companies or platforms that rely on cloud-based storage outside of the UAE,” Moore explains.
Pearlman warns that while regions like the US and EU are beginning to rethink how AI and extended reality (XR) systems handle biometric data, many regulations are still playing catch-up with the technology.
“The tech is outpacing the policy,” she says. However, she believes the MENA region has a unique chance to create a forward-thinking framework for immersive technologies. “The question is: will it import the tech and the blind spots?”
As the UAE continues its rapid digital transformation, smart glasses users are being urged to understand the privacy implications of their devices—or risk facing serious legal consequences.
