NYC techno club Basement says it will permanently ban anyone entering with smart glasses

The club's announcement

Basement, an underground techno club in Maspeth, Queens, said in an Instagram post that anyone bringing smart glasses into the venue "whether wearing them or carrying them in a bag, will be asked to leave and may be permanently banned." The club framed the move as a direct extension of its existing no-photo, no-video rule, arguing that "devices that allow discreet recording are incompatible with that policy." Basement is built around a famously strict door policy in which patrons must pass a subjective "vibe check" before being admitted.

Why smart glasses triggered the rule

Smart glasses are equipped with camera hardware that can record point-of-view video and stills, and because the hardware is built into a standard-looking frame, wearers can film people around them without easily being noticed. Basement's stated worry is that such devices undermine the privacy, safety and freedom it tries to preserve on its dance floor, even though the club still allows ordinary smartphones inside. The club's Instagram commenters largely backed the stance, with some urging similar rules at other venues.

Smart glasses' wider reputation

Smart glasses have drawn repeated criticism in recent months after online videos showed wearers using the devices to film unsolicited encounters with strangers and upload the clips to TikTok and Instagram, where they drew millions of views. The backlash has been loud enough that Instagram head Adam Mosseri publicly said the platform would remove videos that "take advantage of people" and banned what he described as the trend of surreptitiously recording others on the platform. Some users have branded the eyewear "pervert glasses," and the optics are now treated as a cultural liability by venues and individuals alike.

Meta's response

Meta, maker of the Ray-Ban line of smart glasses, has moved to blunt the controversy. The company said it would disable the camera for users who try to cover the LED indicator that is supposed to signal recording, and it said it would remove harassing clips filmed with the glasses from Instagram. Separately this week, Meta was reported to have been granted a patent for a "mute or lock" switch that could shut down "one or more sensors" in its consumer products, a feature described as a potential kill switch. None of those steps has reversed the reputational damage, as illustrated by Basement's blanket ban.

What remains unresolved

It is not yet clear whether other New York venues will adopt similar policies, whether Basement will enforce the rule at its own door or rely on internal checks, or whether Meta's patent activity will translate into a consumer-facing feature. Basement did not respond to requests for additional comment before publication.

Follow-up signals

Watch for any venue copycats among New York's door-policy clubs, further Meta product or policy updates tied to its smart-glasses privacy controls, and whether the patent for a sensor kill switch is commercialized.