The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted a statement on smart glasses and GDPR on 13 October 2026, naming schools and workplaces among the settings where use is especially sensitive [1]. It says anyone wearing the glasses for professional activities counts as a controller under the GDPR, and that the glasses should make it obvious to bystanders when they record [1][2].
The text is statement 1/2026, adopted at the Board's latest plenary and published the same day [2]. EDPB Chair Anu Talus said "individuals may be recorded without their knowledge" [2]. For teachers, facilitators and team leads, the statement is likely to become a reference point when they set recording rules for classrooms, workshops and meetings.
What did the EDPB adopt on 13 October 2026?
The statement sets out the Board's preliminary reflections on the privacy effects of smart glasses [1]. It defines them as wearable devices that often look like regular glasses or sunglasses, with cameras, speakers, microphones and software, including AI systems [1].
The Board says the glasses allow near invisible recording because they are hard to tell apart from ordinary eyewear [1]. It adds that some models have microphones that can pick up background conversations the wearer is not part of [1].
At the same plenary the Board published a report, ‘The connected gaze’ [2]. It was commissioned through the Support Pool of Experts programme after a proposal from the French data protection authority [2]. A digital sociologist wrote it, and the EDPB notes that its views do not necessarily reflect the Board's official position [2].
How do smart glasses and GDPR rules apply to the wearer?
The GDPR does not apply to purely personal or household use, such as sharing a video only with a family member or friend [1]. The Board says this household exemption must be read narrowly [1].
It does not apply when footage goes to an indefinite number of people on a public social media account [1]. It also does not apply when the glasses are used for official, professional, political or other non-personal activities [1]. In those cases the wearer is a controller or joint controller and must meet all GDPR obligations, notably transparency [1].
Even where the GDPR does not apply, wearers may still be subject to criminal, civil or labour law and other sector-specific rules [2]. The Board also says a user should not justify continuous or indiscriminate recording of others solely by a general concern for their personal safety [1].
Producers and providers of linked apps or AI services can be controllers too, for example when an AI feature analyses a camera image in which other people appear [1]. According to the EDPB news release, they cannot transfer their obligations to users [2].
Why are schools and workplaces named?
The statement lists settings where use is especially sensitive: medical facilities, schools and other places where minors are present, changing rooms, swimming pools, beaches and toilets [1]. It says workplace use may raise concerns about employee monitoring and the confidentiality of company information, including trade secrets [1]. In such settings, recording may be inappropriate or prohibited under national law or local rules [1].
The Board asks for particular attention to children, who may be less aware of smart glasses and more vulnerable to covert recording [1]. Talus said the risks are greater in places such as hospitals, schools and workplaces [2].
What should the glasses do to warn bystanders?
The Board says current indicators leave many non-users unaware that their data is being processed [1]. It suggests that producers combine several measures [1]:
- Light indicators that are visible in many lighting conditions. The Board says "it should not be possible to record information when the indicator is covered" [1].
- Audio cues and voice activation, such as a click when a picture is taken [1].
- Smartphone notifications when nearby glasses are recording, though never as the only method, and only for people who choose to receive them [1].
- Design features that set smart glasses apart from regular glasses [1].
The Board notes that an LED may be hard to notice for people with visual impairments, and a white light can be mistaken for glare [1]. It recommends industry-wide standards and awareness campaigns so people can recognise smart glasses [1]. Talus put it simply: "Smart glasses should make their recording obvious" [2].
What did Sweden's regulator add?
Sweden's data protection authority, IMY, published a Swedish news item on 14 October 2026 [3]. It says IMY lawyer Petra Wierup took part in drafting the statement [3]. The item stresses that the glasses must clearly show people nearby when they record or take pictures [3].
IMY also points back to the ten tips for smart glasses users it published in March 2026 [3]. These include the warning that filming can be a crime in some situations [3].
Who is affected?
- Teachers and school leaders, because schools are named as a sensitive setting [1].
- Workshop facilitators and trainers, because professional use takes wearers outside the household exemption [1].
- Team leads and employers, because of the concerns about monitoring and confidential information [1].
- Staff and participants who wear smart glasses, who may be controllers with transparency duties [1].
- Producers and app or AI providers, who keep their own obligations [2].
What can teachers, facilitators and team leads do now?
- Add a sentence on recording to your session or classroom ground rules, covering phones, cameras and smart glasses.
- Ask anyone wearing smart glasses to say so at the start, and to stop recording during sensitive parts of a session.
- Do not rely on a small light to tell people. The Board says current indicators leave many bystanders unaware [1].
- Check your school's or employer's existing rules and national law, since some uses may be prohibited locally [1].
- If you record a session for work, treat it as professional use: tell people what you record, why, and where it goes.
- Take extra care where children are present, as the Board asks [1].
- Remember that some people use smart glasses as a disability aid, such as for audio assistance [1]. A blanket ban may affect them, so a rule about recording is likely to work better than a rule about the device.
What is not yet clear?
- The statement is preliminary guidance [2]. The Board says further guidance may be useful but gives no date [1].
- There is no industry standard for recording indicators yet. The Board recommends one but does not say who will write it [1].
- Whether the GDPR applies to a given wearer depends on a case-by-case assessment [1], so everyday cases, such as a colleague wearing glasses in an internal meeting, remain open.
- National laws differ on filming and on the right to one's image [1], and the statement does not list them.
- The findings of ‘The connected gaze’ are the authors' views, not an official EDPB position [2].