Is it legal to record with smart glasses in India?
Short answer: Usually, yes: we found no Indian law that bans camera glasses or filming in public as such. The limits are about what, where and why you record. Capturing images of someone's private area or a woman's private act is a crime (IT Act s.66E, BNS s.77), recording a film in a cinema is banned (Cinematograph Act s.6AA), and filming prohibited places can fall under the Official Secrets Act. Temples, airports and hospitals add their own bans.
This page is general information on Indian law as of 14 Nov 2026, not legal advice. If you get a complaint or legal notice, talk to a lawyer.
| Rule | What it covers | Penalty | Date and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT Act 2000, s.66E | Intimate images taken or shared without consent | Up to 3 years, a fine up to ₹2 lakh, or both | Act 21 of 2000 (India Code) |
| BNS 2023, s.77 | Voyeurism against a woman in a private act | 1 to 3 years and a fine; 3 to 7 years on repeat | Act 45 of 2023, assent 25 Dec 2023; in force from 1 Jul 2024 (India Code) |
| DPDP Act 2023 and Rules 2025 | Digital personal data; personal or domestic use excluded | Penalties on organisations through the Data Protection Board | Rules notified 13 Nov 2025; main duties from 13 May 2027 (AZB & Partners) |
| Cinematograph (Amendment) Act 2023, s.6AA | Recording a film in a licensed cinema | 3 months to 3 years, plus a fine from ₹3 lakh up to 5% of audited gross production cost | Act 12 of 2023, assent 4 Aug 2023 (eGazette); in force from 11 Aug 2023 (eGazette) |
| Official Secrets Act 1923, s.3 | Photographing prohibited places for a purpose against the state | Up to 14 years where defence is involved, otherwise up to 3 years | 1923 (Act text) |
Can you film people in public with smart glasses?
Generally, yes. The Supreme Court held in Tuhin Kumar Biswas v State of West Bengal (2025) that photographing a woman without consent, when she isn't engaged in a "private act", isn't voyeurism under the old IPC s.354C (Drishti Judiciary).
Privacy is still a fundamental right: a 9-judge Supreme Court bench said so in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v Union of India on 24 Aug 2017 (Supreme Court judgment). It mainly limits the state; private disputes turn on the laws below or civil claims.
In Aug 2026 ThePrint reported that a Delhi man, with pro bono help from the Internet Freedom Foundation, had sent a legal notice to Meta and an Instagram creator who filmed him covertly on Ray-Ban Meta glasses at a café, seeking ₹2.05 crore in damages (ThePrint). It's a notice, not a court ruling.
What does IT Act section 66E ban?
It punishes intentionally or knowingly capturing, publishing or transmitting an image of a person's private area without consent, in circumstances that violate their privacy (UNODC SHERLOC). "Private area" means the naked or undergarment-clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks or female breast. The test is a reasonable expectation of privacy, in a public or a private place, and it protects people of any gender.
What is voyeurism under BNS section 77?
We checked the number against the official text: it's section 77 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (India Code), which replaces IPC s.354C (Drishti Judiciary). It covers watching or capturing the image of a woman engaging in a private act where she'd expect not to be observed, or sharing that image.
- "Private act" includes having the genitals, posterior or breasts exposed or covered only in underwear in a place expected to give privacy, using a lavatory, or a sexual act not usually done in public.
- Consent to filming isn't consent to sharing: sharing without consent is still an offence.
Does the DPDP Act apply when you record people?
Mostly not yet, and not for personal use.
- MeitY notified the DPDP Rules 2025 on 13 Nov 2025 (AZB & Partners) with an 18-month phased timeline (PIB). Consent manager rules apply from 13 Nov 2026; notice, consent, user rights and penalties from 13 May 2027 (AZB & Partners).
- In early 2026 MeitY reportedly sought comments on cutting the 18-month runway to 12 months, at least for significant data fiduciaries (S.S. Rana), but a Sep 2026 law-firm update still listed 13 May 2027 and no amendment (King Stubb & Kasiva). We found no notified change; check the Gazette.
- Section 3 excludes personal data processed by an individual for a personal or domestic purpose (NeGD). Filming your own holiday is likely outside the Act; recording people for a business may not be.
Can you record in a cinema with smart glasses?
Not the film. Section 6AA bars using any "audio-visual recording device" in a licensed cinema to make or transmit an infringing copy, "regardless of whether audio-visual recording is the sole or primary purpose of the device", so camera glasses count. Section 7(1A) allows up to 3 years in prison plus a fine of at least ₹3 lakh (eGazette). By 3 Nov 2023 the I&B Ministry was using the amended Act's takedown powers against piracy (PIB).
Which places are off-limits?
Prohibited places
A "prohibited place" under the Official Secrets Act covers defence works, military establishments and places the Central Government notifies, and a "sketch" includes any photograph (Act text). Section 3 punishes entering such a place, or making a sketch useful to an enemy, for a purpose prejudicial to the state. In Jul 2022 the Bombay High Court held that a police station isn't a prohibited place and quashed an FIR over a video shot inside one (SCC Online).
Airports
Reports conflict. Onmanorama said on 2 Jun 2026 that DGCA rules ban filming at security checkpoints, boarding gates and aprons, with possible flying bans (Onmanorama). Live From A Lounge found no such DGCA circular and said public terminal areas were never covered, though defence airports such as Goa's Dabolim restrict photography (Live From A Lounge). Both rule out filming at security checks or on the apron.
Temples
Temple rules decide, and camera glasses have led to detentions. A man from Gujarat wearing Meta glasses was detained at Thiruvananthapuram's Padmanabhaswamy Temple on 6 Jul 2025 and booked for filming in a restricted area (Asianet Newsable). Similar cases were reported at Ayodhya's Ram temple in Jan 2025 (Aaj Tak) and Puri's Jagannath Temple in Nov 2025 (The Week).
Hospitals
Hospitals set their own rules: Arunachal Pradesh's TRIHMS banned photography and videography on its premises in Sep 2025 (India Today NE).
Workplaces
We found no national law on smart glasses at work, so your employer's policy decides. Sections 66E and 77 still apply in office washrooms and changing rooms, and from 13 May 2027 employers that process personal data take on DPDP duties (AZB & Partners).
What does Meta's capture LED rule say?
Meta's AI glasses have a front "capture LED" that blinks for photos and through videos, with no off switch (Meta). From Gen 2 on, the camera won't work if the LED is blocked, and Meta says an update will disable it if the LED is tampered with or destroyed. It also removes listings for LED-tampering services. At Padmanabhaswamy, the light is what alerted security (Asianet Newsable).
Recording with smart glasses: do's and don'ts
Do - Tell people before you record them up close, and ask before posting a clip that identifies them. - Keep the capture LED visible. - Put the glasses away in cinemas, temples with camera bans, hospitals and airport security areas. - Delete footage if someone asks. - Follow posted signs: site rules can be stricter than the law.
Don't - Record anywhere people undress or use the toilet. - Share intimate images, even if the person agreed to be filmed. - Cover or modify the LED. - Film defence sites, security checkpoints or notified prohibited places. - Post or livestream strangers for content without consent: the Delhi café notice shows the risk.
Buying a pair? See Smart glasses you can buy in India, Ray-Ban Meta alternatives you can buy in India, Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 price in India, variants and where to buy and our B by Lenskart review.
Sources
- The Information Technology Act, 2000, India Code, Act 21 of 2000, as amended
- The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Act 45 of 2023), India Code, 25 Dec 2023
- Update: India's Digital Personal Data Protection Framework comes into effect, AZB & Partners, 19 Nov 2025
- The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 (No. 12 of 2023), Gazette of India, 4 Aug 2023
- The Official Secrets Act, 1923 (text hosted by Mumbai Port Authority), 1923
- No Voyeurism for Non-Private Act Filming (Tuhin Kumar Biswas v State of West Bengal), Drishti Judiciary, 5 Dec 2025
- Judgement of the Supreme Court of India regarding privacy as a constitutionally protected value (Puttaswamy), India Environment Portal, 24 Aug 2017
- Delhi man sues Meta over smart glasses, ThePrint, 26 Aug 2026
- Information Technology Act 2000, section 66E, UNODC SHERLOC, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Government notifies Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, PIB (MeitY), 14 Nov 2025
- MeitY plans to cut short DPDP Compliance Timeline and Notify Cross Border Restrictions for SDFs, S.S. Rana & Co., 13 Feb 2026
- DPDP Act and Rules: 2026 compliance deadline, King Stubb & Kasiva, 10 Aug 2026, updated 8 Sep 2026
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, NeGD Law as Code (MeitY), checked 14 Nov 2026
- Major action to curb film piracy as industry faces losses of Rs. 20,000 crore annually due to piracy, PIB (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting), 3 Nov 2023
- Police station not a prohibited place under Official Secrets Act (Ravindra Shitalrao Upadyay v State of Maharashtra), SCC Online, 4 Nov 2022
- Indian airports impose strict filming ban, Onmanorama, 2 Jun 2026
- No indication that airport photography has been banned by the DGCA, Live From A Lounge, 2 Jun 2026
- Kerala: Gujarat man detained for wearing Meta glasses to Padmanabhaswamy temple, Asianet Newsable, 7 Jul 2025
- Ayodhya Ram Mandir: man arrested for clicking photos with camera glasses (Hindi), Aaj Tak, 7 Jan 2025
- Man caught with spy glasses in Puri Jagannath Temple, The Week (PTI), 7 Nov 2025
- Arunachal's TRIHMS prohibits photography and videography inside hospital premises, India Today NE, 12 Sep 2025
- Meta's AI Glasses: Your Questions Answered, Meta, 7 Jul 2026, updated 23 Jul 2026
- Notification S.O. 3587(E): commencement of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, Gazette of India, 10 Aug 2023
FAQ
Is it illegal to use camera glasses in public in India?
We found no Indian law that bans camera glasses or filming in public as such. The offences depend on what you record and where: intimate images, private acts, films in cinemas and prohibited places.
Which law covers secretly filming someone in India?
IT Act section 66E punishes capturing or sharing an image of a person's private area without consent: up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to ₹2 lakh, or both. BNS section 77 covers voyeurism against a woman in a private act.
Does the DPDP Act stop me filming people?
Not for purely personal use. The Act excludes personal data processed by an individual for personal or domestic purposes. Its main duties for organisations start on 13 May 2027.
Can I record a film in a cinema with smart glasses?
No. Using any recording device in a licensed cinema to make or transmit a copy of a film is an offence under the Cinematograph Act, with 3 months to 3 years in prison and a fine of at least ₹3 lakh.
Can you record inside a police station in India?
The Bombay High Court held in Jul 2022 that a police station isn't a prohibited place under the Official Secrets Act, so recording there wasn't an offence under that Act. Other laws and rules can still apply.
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