His Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service has banned Meta smart glasses from all criminal, civil and family courts in England and Wales, confiscating them from anyone attempting to bring them into judicial buildings. The move follows growing unease over the device's ability to record video covertly, and mirrors a similar ban introduced by New York's court system last month, as concern mounts that the glasses could be used to secretly film court proceedings, a criminal offence in the UK.

Under the policy, Meta glasses will be taken from visitors on entry and returned when they leave, while smartphones remain permitted provided they are not used to record proceedings. The crackdown follows an incident earlier this year in which a claimant, Laimonas Jakstys, was accused by a High Court judge of being "coached" through smart glasses during cross-examination, an allegation he denied. Meta sold seven million pairs of the glasses last year, priced between £269 and £469, and the devices have also been dubbed "pervert glasses" and banned by various UK pubs, restaurants and theatres, including Wetherspoons, over fears they could be used to film people without consent.