Meta ends contract with Sama after reports about private Ray-Ban footage

In short: Meta ended its contract with Sama, a contractor whose workers said they had to review sensitive videos recorded by Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

What happened

Meta hired Sama, a company headquartered in Kenya, to do “data annotation” work for its AI systems. Data annotation means labeling things in photos, videos, or audio, like tagging what is in a clip so a computer can learn from it.

Earlier this year, Sama workers told reporters they had seen sensitive and seemingly private footage recorded by Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The reports described videos of people changing clothes, having sex, and using the toilet. One worker said they were expected to do the job even when the footage felt private.

The BBC reported that Meta ended its contract with Sama less than two months after these accounts were published by Swedish newspapers and a Kenyan freelance journalist. Sama said the cancellation affected 1,108 workers.

Meta told the BBC it ended the work because Sama did not “meet our standards.” Sama disputed that, saying it met operational, security, and quality requirements and was not told it had failed any standard. The BBC also reported that some workers believe the contract was cut because they spoke out, and Meta has not responded to that specific claim.

Why it matters

This story highlights a basic privacy concern with smart glasses and similar devices. If videos you record for an AI feature can be reviewed by human contractors, it raises questions about who might see personal moments, even if the company says users consent and content is filtered (like blurring faces). It also comes as Ray-Ban Meta faces wider scrutiny, including a US class action complaint and interest from UK and Kenyan privacy regulators.

Source: Arstechnica