On July 23, 2025, Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI)’s journalist Chris Hamill-Stewart published a thought-provoking article featuring XRSI CEO Kavya Pearlman, examining the legal blind spots surrounding smart glasses in the UAE.
With the launch of Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses, questions of consent, biometric surveillance, and data protection are front and center. Kavya weighed in on the growing risks:
“As the MENA region scales its adoption, the question is: will it import the tech and the blind spots?” — Kavya Pearlman, XRSI
The UAE’s privacy and cybercrime laws prohibit filming individuals without consent, regardless of intent. With smart glasses quietly recording in public, unsuspecting users may face serious legal consequences.
As immersive technologies become more embedded in our daily lives, so do the complexities around consent, context, and accountability. The casual use of smart glasses may seem like harmless innovation, but behind every hands-free video or voice interaction lies a web of unspoken data collection, impacting everyone within the frame.
At XRSI, we believe the answer lies not in slowing down innovation, but in governing it responsibly.
That’s why we introduced the Responsible Data Governance (RDG™) Standard, an actionable, certifiable solution designed to ensure data is handled with transparency, accountability, and respect for fundamental rights. RDG™ provides organizations with the tools to proactively address the types of risks outlined in the AGBI article, covering everything from biometric data exposure to lawful cross-border transfers.
🌍 Whether you’re a platform provider, smart device manufacturer, or policymaker in the MENA region or beyond, now is the time to build trust, not blind spots.
👉 Learn more about RDG™ and how to get certified: https://xrsi.org/rdg