Documents obtained by the transparency group Property of the People reveal that US law enforcement agencies, including the NYPD, are increasingly worried about Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses being used to covertly film officers and secure facilities. A January memo from the NYPD's counterterrorism unit warned that detainees could use the discreet, camera-equipped eyewear to record inside cells and detention centres, potentially exposing sensitive information such as camera placements and patrol routines. The concern reflects a broader unease, shared by privacy advocates, about a technology that can record unsuspecting members of the public without consent.

The NYPD memo was one of a dozen previously unreported documents reviewed by the Guardian, spanning agencies from Maine to California, showing the fear is widespread among police and corrections departments. It followed footage, posted to TikTok in July 2025, filmed inside a South Carolina detention centre under federal investigation for unsafe conditions, showing cells, showers and sleeping detainees who were unaware they were being recorded. The glasses, which resemble ordinary Ray-Bans or Oakleys bar a small blinking recording light, can slip past facilities that normally confiscate recording devices. Ryan Shapiro of Property of the People argued the memos expose a double standard, saying agencies that constantly surveil the public treat being watched back as a security threat rather than accepting equal scrutiny.