Hans Anders pulls Ray-Ban Meta glasses over privacy
Hans Anders stopped selling Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium. Why, what consumer groups demand from Meta by October 13, and what it means.
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Hans Anders, one of the biggest optician chains in the Netherlands, has stopped selling Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in its Dutch and Belgian stores, citing the privacy debate around glasses that can film people who don't notice. The halt came days after Dutch consumer and anti-abuse groups gave Meta until October 13, 2026 to change the glasses or face court. Here is why a mainstream retailer pulled them, exactly what the groups demand, and what it means if you own a pair or are thinking of buying one outside the Netherlands.
Key takeaways
- The halt: Hans Anders confirmed on Thursday, October 1, that it had pulled the glasses with immediate effect, NOS reported. It applies in the Netherlands and Belgium, the only two countries where its parent company sold them.
- Two separate legal threats, none filed yet: the Consumentenbond wants Meta to fix the recording light, the default settings and AI training; Offlimits and The Firewall want the glasses off the shelves. Both say they will sue if Meta does not move by October 13.
- Meta's position: the company told Reuters its capture light cannot be turned off and that the camera stops working if the light is covered or tampered with.
- Not a ban: the glasses are still legal to sell and use. Other retailers in both countries still stock them.
- Outside the Netherlands, nothing changes today for owners, but the European privacy rules behind the Dutch arguments apply across the EU.
Why Hans Anders stopped selling Ray-Ban Meta glasses
Hans Anders gave a short reason. It said the decision followed "ongoing public and political debate" about smart glasses and the conditions under which they can be used, according to Reuters' report, syndicated by Investing.com. The chain belongs to Nexeye, which Reuters says is controlled by the private equity firm KKR and runs 776 stores in five European countries, but sold Meta's glasses only in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The suspension has no end date. In Belgium, Hans Anders told VRT NWS it will reassess what place this kind of glasses can have in its range once there is more clarity. VRT adds that only a selection of the chain's more than 140 Belgian stores carried them, and that the company would not say how many it sold.
Three pressures came together in the two weeks before the decision:
- The privacy regulator. On September 22, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) warned camera glasses users that footage of recognizable people cannot simply be shared or published. Purely personal use can fall outside the GDPR, it said, but that exception ends once footage is posted or shared more widely, and asking everyone in a public place for consent is often impossible in practice. The AP also said a small light on the frame is not enough to inform bystanders, and advised hospitals, courts and religious buildings to ban the glasses in their house rules.
- The consumer groups' letters, covered below.
- Politics. The lower house of the Dutch parliament has asked for a clearer and broader ban on camera glasses, while the government considers a full ban too far and is waiting for European guidance expected this autumn, NOS reported.
What the consumer groups demand from Meta, and by when
Two formal notices reached Meta at the end of September. They come from different groups and ask for different things, so it helps to keep them apart.
| Consumentenbond | Offlimits and The Firewall | |
|---|---|---|
| Sent | September 29, 2026 | September 29, 2026 |
| Addressed to | Meta | Meta and EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's owner |
| Main demand | Redesign the glasses and their defaults to meet privacy law | Take the glasses off the market while covert filming is possible |
| Other demands | A recording light bystanders can actually see and that cannot be covered; stop processing data for AI training unlawfully | Stop processing recordings made without the explicit consent of the people in them |
| Deadline | Two weeks, which runs to October 13 | October 13, 2026 |
| If ignored | A lawsuit | Summary proceedings at the Amsterdam District Court to seek a fast ban |
The Consumentenbond's notice, the Netherlands' main consumer association, argues that Meta is responsible for the personal data the glasses process. It says the footage can reveal sensitive details about the people filmed, such as political views, religion or health, which European law treats as special categories of data. It calls the letter "a first step".
Offlimits, a Dutch center that helps victims of online abuse, and The Firewall, a journalism platform focused on Big Tech, ask for more: no sales until the glasses can no longer film in secret. They cite the constitutional right to privacy, the GDPR and the criminal law on covert recording.
To be clear about where things stand: no lawsuit has been filed. Both are threats, conditional on Meta not responding by October 13.
How Meta answers the privacy criticism
Meta disputes the heart of the Ray-Ban Meta privacy complaints, the light. "Every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video," the company told Reuters, adding that the light cannot be turned off and that the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it. The Consumentenbond says the opposite: that the light is not visible enough to bystanders and can be covered. Meta did not answer VRT's questions, and Reuters did not report a response to the specific demands or the deadline.
What it means for owners and buyers outside the Netherlands
If you already own a pair, nothing changes. The Hans Anders Ray-Ban Meta suspension is about sales: the chain did not recall the glasses, and no regulator has banned using them. Any change Meta might agree to, such as different default settings or a recording light that is harder to miss, would most likely reach owners through a software update, but that is our inference: Meta has announced nothing of the kind.
If you want to buy a pair, they are still easy to find. In the Netherlands they remain on sale at other retailers and online shops, NOS reports, and in Belgium VRT lists Bol, Pearle and A.S. Adventure as still selling them. If you are weighing models, our Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 vs Gen 2 comparison covers what the newer pair changes.
If you live elsewhere in the EU, the AP's warning is one regulator's reading of the GDPR, which applies in every member state. Wherever you are in Europe, the safest habit is the one the AP describes: don't post footage of recognizable strangers without their consent. Belgium's data protection authority accepts complaints about unauthorized filming, VRT notes.
In the UK and US, the pressure looks different. Reuters points to the pub chain Wetherspoon restricting use of the glasses in Britain, and to a US lawsuit against Meta and Luxottica alleging that human annotators viewed videos captured by the glasses without the knowledge of the people filmed. In California, Governor Newsom just vetoed the SB 1130 smart glasses bill, which would have required a visible recording indicator from 2028.
What happens next
- October 13, 2026: both deadlines expire. If Meta does not comply or negotiate, the Consumentenbond says it will sue, and Offlimits and The Firewall say they will seek a fast court order in Amsterdam.
- This autumn: the Dutch government expects European guidance on camera glasses, which will shape whether it backs the broader ban parliament wants.
- Hans Anders has not said what would bring the glasses back to its stores.
Bottom line
The Hans Anders Ray-Ban Meta halt is a signal, not a ban: a mainstream optician walked away from the best-known smart glasses, yet the glasses are still legal and on sale in the Netherlands and Belgium. The real test is October 13. If Meta neither changes the glasses nor negotiates, two Dutch court cases could follow, and their outcome could matter to owners across Europe. Until then, if you wear a pair, treat the recording light as the minimum courtesy, not as consent.
FAQ
Can you still buy Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the Netherlands?
Yes. Only Hans Anders has stopped selling them. NOS reports that other retailers and online shops in the Netherlands still sell them, and VRT says Bol, Pearle and A.S. Adventure still sell them in Belgium.
Is it illegal to use Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the Netherlands?
No. Wearing and using them is legal. The Dutch privacy regulator's warning is about what you do with footage: sharing or publishing recordings of recognizable people without their consent can break the GDPR.
Has anyone sued Meta over the glasses yet?
Not as of October 3, 2026. The Consumentenbond sent Meta a formal notice on September 29 and says it will start a lawsuit if Meta does not adapt the glasses within two weeks, a deadline that runs to October 13. Offlimits and The Firewall set the same date before going to court in Amsterdam.