DEF CON bans smart glasses with cameras to protect attendees’ privacy

Just days before the opening of DEF CON 2026, one of the oldest hacking conferences in the world, the conference organizers are announcing that smart glasses with cameras aren’t welcome at the show.

“Meta-style glasses with recording capabilities are prohibited at DEF CON. There is no exception for recording glasses with prescription lenses. Be sure to pack non-violating eyewear if you need them,” the promoters remind attendees on Bluesky.

According to DEF CON’s photography policy, it’s prohibited to take pictures of people in hallways, lines, or who are just hanging around. There’s one exception: photographers are allowed to capture speakers on stage.

The policy, which hadn’t been updated since 2023, now also says that “smart glasses and other devices that can record audio or video with no consistent way to understand if they’re recording or not, are prohibited at DEF CON.”

This was added because these kinds of devices erode trust and invade attendees’ privacy, the organizers explain.

Privacy and civil liberty experts like Eva Galperin, Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Director of Cybersecurity, are happy with the newest addendum.

“Love to see a ‘no pervert glasses’ policy at DEF CON,” she said on social media.

More and more conference and event organizers are banning smart glasses altogether. For example, Monopoly Events banned smart glasses at its events.

“After a consultation period we can no longer permit the wearing of any recording device at our events. The vast majority of the talent and agents at our events felt that these were a violation of their privacy and were damaging and spoiling the interactions at the tables. Several expressed concerns that they might not continue to attend in-person events if they were being recorded in secret,” the organizer wrote on its Facebook page last week.

Similarly, Scottish ferry operator CalMac suspended spontaneous visits to the bridges of its ships because crew members and passengers felt uncomfortable after they learned that a tourist was recording them.

DEF CON 2026 will take place from August 6th to August 9th in Las Vegas.