Burning Man tells AI glasses wearers: Don't be a creep, get permission to record

Burners are getting ready for their weeklong excursion to the Nevada desert.

They're allowed to bring their Meta glasses, but the 2026 guidelines say they need to get permission to record.

JULIE JAMMOT/AFP via Getty Images Burning Man organizers have published the 2026 survival guide.

In it, they say attendees (nicknamed "Burners") are allowed to bring smart glasses, but to be mindful of how they use them.

The guide says they should ask before recording others.

On socials, some Burners are plotting how to get them barred.

Smart glasses are allowed at Burning Man 2026.

Organizers say: Just don't be a creep about it.

"Before using any device — including cellphones, cameras, or smart eyewear — you must ask and receive permission from anyone who may appear in your frame, whether they are the main subject or in the background," Burning Man's 2026 Survival Guide says.

"This applies to people's personal moments and their creative offerings alike." A Burning Man Project spokesperson told Business Insider that its privacy and consent rules are not new, but that it recently updated its 2026 guidance to explicitly include smart eyewear as the technology has evolved.

The guidance change is the latest example of how mainstream smart glasses are becoming — and the larger conversation they've driven around privacy.

"Burning Man Project places a high priority on participant privacy and ensuring that photography and media practices respect consent, personal boundaries, and the experience of everyone in Black Rock City," they said.

The comment was earlier reported by Zara Stone , a reporter at The San Francisco Standard, on X.

Smart glasses like Meta's Ray-Ban and Oakley AI glasses look much like regular eyewear but can pack cameras, microphones, speakers, and AI assistants into their frames.