Overview
- New Swedish investigations based on interviews with about 30 Nairobi data annotators report that highly sensitive clips from Meta’s smart glasses, including sex, bathroom scenes and bank card details, were viewed at contractor Sama.
- Technical tests by the reporters found that the glasses’ AI functions require an internet connection with processing on Meta servers, with paired phones contacting servers in Sweden and Denmark.
- Meta confirms it sometimes uses subcontractors to review content shared with Meta AI and says it filters to protect privacy, adding that voice recordings are not automatically forwarded and media stay on‑device unless users share them with Meta AI.
- User terms require consent to automated and human review of interactions with Meta AI, yet workers say anonymization often fails, and test purchases found some retailers inaccurately claimed data remain stored locally.
- European privacy experts and Sweden’s data authority flagged transparency and legal‑basis concerns under GDPR, with added risk from transfers to Kenya, which lacks an EU adequacy decision; workers describe long shifts, secrecy requirements and psychological strain.