Retail workers face new privacy threats from covert Meta glasses recordings
A Target employee was repeatedly harassed and filmed by customers wearing Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and the video later went viral.
At a Target location, employee Toru Hinkle approached two shoppers who kept asking for a price check on a $20 item and deliberately misgendered both Hinkle and a manager. The customers wore Ray-Ban Meta glasses that recorded the interaction, a fact Hinkle attempted to halt by saying “Meta, stop recording,” without success. The resulting video was uploaded and amassed hundreds of thousands of views, later being noticed by a different Target manager.
This episode illustrates a growing privacy challenge for retail staff as wearable cameras become less conspicuous. Historically, customer feedback has been channeled through comment cards and mystery shoppers, but modern devices allow patrons to capture and share footage independently. Experts note that such recordings can pressure workers and potentially affect employment decisions, even though the customers are not acting on behalf of the company.
Why it matters
It shows how emerging wearable tech lets shoppers record employees, raising new privacy and workplace power concerns.
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