The recent publication of a new patent by Meta for its smart glasses reopens the debate about the implications of these devices for privacy and cybersecurity. As smart glasses incorporate more advanced capabilities, the information they can potentially collect and process is no longer limited to images or videos of the environment and may include biometric data, faces, locations, reactions, and even social connections.
The risks
This evolution also poses a challenge that affects not only the device user but also the people around them, who may not be aware that certain data about them is being collected or analyzed.
Oded Vanunu, Head of Product Vulnerability Research at Check Point Software Technologies, warns that Meta’s new patent could significantly change the risk profile associated with smart glasses: “We are no longer just talking about a camera recording what happens around it, but a system that could generate biometric data, identify faces, analyze reactions, and map social connections.”
“This means that the information collected could affect not only the person wearing the glasses but also those around them who are not necessarily aware that data about them is being collected or analyzed,” he adds.
What happens with the data
Cybersecurity is particularly concerned with where these data are stored and processed. If the information is synchronized with the cloud, security considerations transcend the device itself and extend to the account and associated services. In these cases, phishing, credential theft, or account hijacking could expose sensitive information about meetings, social relationships, and usage patterns.
“Broader questions also arise about how data is used over time: whether it is retained solely for the specific functionality for which it was collected, if it is used to enhance or train models, if it is combined with other data sources, and how long it is stored. As more types of information accumulate (including faces, location, relationships, and reactions), the sensitivity of the resulting data increases,” Vanunu emphasizes.
However, the glasses are not the main problem, as they are only the point of information collection. From a security perspective, it is equally important to understand what happens afterward with that data and what protective measures exist around the account and the services responsible for managing it.
