AI-powered eyewear will be confiscated at the door
Courts and tribunals in England and Wales have joined the growing list of venues to ban Meta smart glasses, with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) confirming that the AI-powered specs will be confiscated at the door.
The decision follows numerous restaurants and pubs, the UK promoter of Comic-Con, and New York’s court system in outlawing the devices, which have previously been branded “spyware” thanks to its ability to covertly record video.
Photography and recording are already banned in courts without official permission, and breaches can land offenders in the dock for contempt, an offence that can carry up to two years inside and/or a fine, according to government guidance. Smartphones get a pass, so long as they’re not used to record, but the Guardian reports that Meta glasses won’t be getting the same treatment.
“Users who bring Meta glasses into courts or tribunals will have them confiscated on entry and they will be returned when the owner leaves the building,” a HMCTS spokesperson told the newspaper.
The move comes after Legal Cheek reported on a case involving a litigant found by the High Court to have been “assisted or coached” via smart glasses while being cross-examined. The revelation proved fatal to his case, which concerned a dispute over the directorship of a property development company, with the judge tossing his evidence out entirely. The litigant in question maintained that the glasses were not connected to his phone and denied being fed answers.