Wetherspoons smart glasses filming policy requires cameras off in pubs

Wetherspoon’s smart glasses filming policy requires users to turn off their cameras and not record customers or employees without permission. The pub chain has not announced an outright ban on wearing Meta-style glasses, a distinction obscured by some reports describing the move as a ban on the devices.

In a statement reported by The Register and The Independent, Wetherspoon said camera-equipped eyewear can enable covert recording and told patrons to switch cameras off. The company did not say whether a customer who continued recording would be removed from a pub.

Can customers wear smart glasses in Wetherspoon pubs?

Based on Wetherspoon’s stated position, customers can wear the glasses, but cannot use them to film people without permission. The restriction is on recording rather than on possession of the eyewear.

The chain said its general pub rule prevents customers or employees being filmed without consent. It described Meta glasses as a potential means of “surreptitious surveillance” and compared its approach to stopping customers from playing videos aloud in venues.

Wetherspoon separately said it operates CCTV for security purposes and that this use is controlled by data legislation. That is not equivalent to customer-operated cameras: the company’s position concerns people recording other patrons or staff with personal devices.

Why the policy focuses on camera use

Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are a prominent example of camera-equipped eyewear. The Register reported that Meta says a recording light activates when a user captures video, and that recording stops if that light is covered. Meta told The Independent that the indicator distinguishes its glasses from smartphones and other cameras, while arguing that rules governing places where filming is inappropriate should be applied consistently.

For venue operators, the practical issue is that smart glasses can look much like ordinary eyewear while recording hands-free. UK pubs are private premises and can set their own rules, The Register reported.

Other venues have taken a broader approach. The Register reported that DEF CON, Monopoly Events, Soho House, ATG Entertainment and Trafalgar Entertainment have policies that prohibit Meta-style recording glasses or recording inside their spaces. Wetherspoon’s guidance is narrower: it directs users to deactivate cameras, rather than requiring them to remove the glasses.

The policy covers a chain reported by The Independent to have more than 800 venues. Wetherspoon has not disclosed enforcement procedures beyond its instruction that cameras should be off, leaving staff and customers without a published answer on what happens if a user refuses.

This story draws on original reporting from The Register.