Judge scolds Mark Zuckerberg’s team for wearing Meta glasses to social media trial

A California judge admonished members of Mark Zuckerberg’s team for wearing Ray Ban-Meta AI glasses, which are equipped with a camera, as they entered a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday for a landmark trial over the impact of social media on children.

“The judge upbraided the Meta team and said if you guys have recorded anything, you have to dispose of it or I will hold you in contempt,” Jacob Ward, a technology journalist and the host of the Rip Current Podcast, told CBS News, calling the incident  “an extraordinary misstep” by Meta. 

It’s unclear if Zuckerberg’s team had the glasses on inside the courtroom or how long they were wearing them. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The use of recording devices and cameras is generally banned in Los Angeles County Superior Court. 

“Judicial officers have the discretion to place limitations on video recording and photography in their courtroom,” a Superior Court of Los Angeles County spokesperson told CBS News, citing local and state rules.

Judge Carolyn Kuhl, who is presiding over the trial, ordered anyone in the courtroom wearing AI glasses to immediately remove them, noting that any use of facial recognition technology to identify the jurors was banned.

“This is very serious,” she said. The court did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

Meta’s glasses, retail for between $299 and $799, are equipped with a camera that can take photos and record video.

Zuckerberg was in court to testify as part of a trial over whether Meta and Alphabet-owned YouTube deliberately designed their social media platforms to encourage compulsive usage by young people. 

The plaintiff behind the suit, identified only by her initials “KGM,” alleges that using social media from a young age caused her to become addicted and harmed her mental health.