Tuesday, 29 September 2026 12:05 PM
Environmental, Social and Governance
QRivacy has introduced wearable QR codes as a new way for people to say "don't film me" and discover appearances in published content.
LONDON, UK / ACCESS Newswire / September 29, 2026 / Meta has launched a new pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses without a camera, as scrutiny of camera-equipped wearables continues to grow.
The new Ray-Ban Meta Audio, announced by Meta at its Connect event on Sept. 23, is the company's first audio-only smart glasses, offering features including audio, calls and Meta AI without a camera. Meta is simultaneously expanding its camera-equipped AI glasses range, which it says will eventually span more than 100 options across Ray-Ban, Oakley and Meta Glasses.
The timing reflects a wider debate about where wearable technology is heading. The International Data Corporation (IDC) says global shipments of XR headsets and glasses grew 35.3 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, with audio, display-free glasses accounting for 70.3 percent of shipments. Meta held 68.7 percent of the market. IDC forecasts the overall category will grow by a further 26.3 percent during 2026.
The growth has been accompanied by increasing scrutiny of what happens to people around the wearer.
Earlier this month, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office said reports of people being recorded without their knowledge or being harassed by users of smart glasses raised "important and serious questions about surveillance, safety, and trust". The ICO said the challenge extends beyond data protection law to questions around social norms, public expectations and safety by design.
A visible signal for people who don't want to be filmed
One UK service is asking whether the answer could be something much simpler: a QR code.
QRivacy gives people a visible way to signal that they do not consent to being filmed via a unique QR code while also providing a way to discover when their personal QRivacy identifier subsequently appears in published content.
"The arrival of Meta's new glasses is an interesting development, but it doesn't remove the underlying question of what happens when someone else is carrying a camera," said Keith Breavington, co-founder of QRivacy. "People can still be filmed by phones, cameras and camera-equipped wearables. The difficult part for the person being filmed is often knowing that it happened at all."
QRivacy is built around a unique wearable QR code that can be displayed as a pin, patch, sticker or other physical marker.
The code contains no name, email address or other personal information. If someone encounters the code in published content, they can scan it and reach a page explaining that the wearer has not consented to being filmed or photographed. The wearer receives an alert and can see reported sightings in a private dashboard, together with guidance for requesting removal of the content from the relevant platform.
"Meaningful transparency, accountability and control"
The concerns around wearable cameras are no longer theoretical.
A BBC investigation found hundreds of videos posted to TikTok and Instagram in which women appeared to have been secretly filmed by men using Meta smart glasses. In one case, footage of a 21-year-old woman filmed during her lunch break reached 1.3 million views on TikTok and showed her phone number on screen, resulting in unwanted messages and calls. The BBC reported that two million pairs of Meta smart glasses had been sold between October 2023 and February 2025, according to EssilorLuxottica.
Another woman filmed on a West Sussex beach was unaware she was being recorded while discussing her employer and family. The resulting videos accumulated millions of views across social media.
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office has since described the wider issue as a question of "meaningful transparency, accountability, control and data minimisation" as technology becomes more capable and less visible.
The UK Government has also acknowledged concerns around covert filming using smart glasses and other wearable technology. In a September 2026 parliamentary response, the Government said that while people may lawfully use recording technologies in public spaces, recording others without consent to cause alarm or distress, or for sexual gratification, can in some circumstances constitute offences including harassment, stalking or voyeurism.
A different approach to wearable privacy
QRivacy does not use facial recognition or image matching to identify individuals. Its automated detection systems look specifically for QRivacy's own identifiers, including code links and QRivacy mentions, across supported online platforms. Sightings can also be submitted manually by people who notice a QRivacy code in published content.
"Allowing for anonymous reporting and giving everyone the power to say ‘hey, you're in this video online' shifts the power balance," Breavington adds. "We tried to make it as easy as possible, hence the idea of not needing an account. If you see someone wearing or holding a QRivacy code, scan the code. Eventually, we're hoping that they become ubiquitous and that content creators will recognise it as a sign that the subject will need to be blurred or edited out."
The concept is not intended to prevent someone from recording another person, and wearing a QRivacy code does not guarantee that footage will be removed.
Instead, it provides a visible way for someone to communicate their lack of consent and a mechanism for discovering some appearances of their QRivacy identifier after publication. That distinction matters because recording and publication are separate problems; the UK Government says online services must consider removal requests under the UK GDPR once images captured by smart glasses have been uploaded, while platforms also have obligations concerning illegal material under the Online Safety Act.
QRivacy is available at https://qrivacy.me. The website also provides guidance on requesting the removal of unwanted footage from major platforms without requiring users to claim a QRivacy code.
Media contact
Zeke Iddon
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0) 7572442372
Website: qrivacy.me
SOURCE: QRivacy