Tik Tok sensation E Dobbin - Meta Glasses

mayneway · Friday at 22:18

Interested to know peoples thoughts on the character E Dobbin who’s spent the last 3/4 months touring Britain and Scotlands coasts in a converted camper van filming all his interactions though his Meta glasses.

It’s interesting some of the encounters he has with rude shop staff and people who don’t like the way he films everything.

Interested to know peoples thoughts on the old Meta Glasses.While filming in pubic is perfectly legal is this a step too far?

TikTok - Make Your Day

TikToker faces police probe over secret filming using Meta 'smart glasses'

The "content maker" published videos of encounters with young women and a female Sikh shop worker where he talked of a plot to "breed out the white race".

www.bbc.co.uk

A TikToker who used Meta "smart glasses" to secretly film members of the public, shop workers and ferry staff during a road trip around Scotland is being investigated by police.

Footage posted by Scott Margerison includes him swearing at a stranger, making sexualised comments about young women and an interaction with a Sikh shopkeeper where he talks about a plan to "breed out the white race".

In another video Margerison, from Rochdale, recorded a tour of the bridge of the CalMac ferry Loch Seaforth, prompting the firm to suspend the popular visits.

Police Scotland confirmed it had received complaints and was reviewing footage to establish if any criminality was involved.

BBC Scotland News has attempted to contact Margerison for comment.

Margerison, who also posts on Instagram and YouTube, has built up the vast majority of his social media audience on TikTok using the alias E Dobbin.

In his videos he frequently approaches strangers and starts bizarre conversations....

RailUK Forums

Tetchytyke · Friday at 23:07

mayneway said:
While filming in pubic is perfectly legal

Ooh matron!

Filming in public may be legal but shops are not public places.

I have no time at all for these pervert goggles and I firmly believe they should be banned.

Sadly nothing seems to have come of the police referral back in July: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g369y5k8ko

While many of his videos feature harmless banter, others have a darker side, particularly when he encounters young women or people from ethnic minorities.

In one video, the 42-year-old makes sexualised comments about the appearance of two teenagers who he spots as he drives onto a small CalMac ferry.

He then puts on his Meta glasses, which contain tiny cameras, gets out of his van and engages the girls and their parents in conversation, apparently without their knowledge of being filmed.

Sounds like someone else who needs his hard drive checking tbh.

AlterEgo · Friday at 23:12

Interesting he's described as a sensation. Dental pain and sitting on a cactus are also sensations

Cowley · 2026-09-05T00:02:21+0100

AlterEgo said:
Interesting he's described as a sensation. Dental pain and sitting on a cactus are also sensations

mayneway · 2026-09-05T01:16:01+0100

AlterEgo said:
Interesting he's described as a sensation. Dental pain and sitting on a cactus are also sensations

Very good haha.
He is becoming a trend, a lot of people are talking about him and his tour. 90k followers is no easy task.

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Tetchytyke said:
Ooh matron!

Filming in public may be legal but shops are not public places.

I have no time at all for these pervert goggles and I firmly believe they should be banned.

Sadly nothing seems to have come of the police referral back in July: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g369y5k8k

Debatable. Shops very much are publicly accessible areas and my understanding is, unless there is clear signage saying filming not allowed he’s within his rights to do so.

Our local shopping centre was deluged with these you tube auditors a few years ago and the management and security struggled to get them out without a fuss, just days later big signs appeared on all the doors stating ‘no personal filming without prior permission.

As for the police, no nothing came of it, although Scottish police did put a marker on his van he’s constantly being pulled by various police forces only to be released when they discover he’s not actually wanted.

It’s better than Emmerdale! :lol:

OuterDistant · 2026-09-05T07:21:10+0100

Never heard of him. But in a few years' time, we'll all be wearing these things anyway - it's the last step remaining in us fully embracing the surveillance society.

Paul180 · 2026-09-05T07:42:28+0100

They are a fantastic asset to the visually impaired and people who struggle with reading so no I don't think they should be banned because of some people misuse them.

spyinthesky · 2026-09-05T08:18:35+0100

mayneway said:
Debatable. Shops very much are publicly accessible areas and my understanding is, unless there is clear signage saying filming not allowed he’s within his rights to do so.

Clear signage is not required for the shop to ask you to leave for any reason they think fit.

dosxuk · 2026-09-05T08:19:34+0100

mayneway said:
90k followers is no easy task.

It's easy when you post rage bait. Keeping those numbers is harder, and generally results in the creator turning to more and more extreme content.

mayneway said:
Debatable. Shops very much are publicly accessible areas and my understanding is, unless there is clear signage saying filming not allowed he’s within his rights to do so.

Wrong. Shops are private property, and a verbal instruction of "stop filming or leave" from a member of staff is enough to make it required for him to do exactly that. Publicly accessible does not mean you can do what you want there, and refusing to leave when instructed to do so leaves you open to accusations of trespass.

Always remember with these types of content is that you only see what the creator wants you to see. You don't get to see the bit where they're deliberately winding people up in order to get a reaction, or the people who take it all in stride and just ignore the provocation.

SargeNpton · 2026-09-05T09:09:51+0100

mayneway said:
Debatable. Shops very much are publicly accessible areas and my understanding is, unless there is clear signage saying filming not allowed he’s within his rights to do so.

There is a big difference to a public place and private property to which the public is admitted.

In the case of the latter, the owner (and those acting on behalf of the owner) can ask a member of the public to leave if their behaviour is not of a suitable standard.

Tetchytyke · 2026-09-05T10:11:34+0100

Paul180 said:
They are a fantastic asset to the visually impaired and people who struggle with reading

That’s the advertising justification from Meta.

The Guardian road tested them and found the claim to, well, be a pile of nonsense.

I wore Meta’s smartglasses for a month – and it left me feeling like a creep

Content creators love the built-in camera; sceptics call them ‘pervert glasses’. Do we really need any more hi-tech wearables, even with a voice assistant that sounds like Judi Dench?

www.theguardian.com

Of all the glasses’ selling points, I’d been most enthusiastic about the real-time translation, imagining it smoothing my interactions abroad and allowing me to eavesdrop on Marco, a native Italian speaker. If Marco was initially wary of the glasses, after two weeks he is sick of the sight of them, but indulges my request to role-play tourist and local.

I ask him for directions to “the nearest duomo”, looking directly at him, as instructed, with the Meta AI app open on my phone. Marco rattles off a response with authentic speed and dismissiveness. An English translation appears on my phone’s screen, after a slight lag, but it is incomprehensible. The interaction is significantly less fluid than typing into Google Translate and passing the phone back and forth. This is frequently the case in my month of Meta glasses: instead of a more seamless experience, they add another layer of tech, one that’s more fiendish to navigate.

mayneway said:
Debatable. Shops very much are publicly accessible areas and my understanding is, unless there is clear signage saying filming not allowed he’s within his rights to do so.

No, shops are private property to which the public has access by implied permission. Secretly filming shop staff with pervert goggles is not part of that implied permission.

Shop staff are not happy and the trade unions are pushing for change. JD Wetherspoon have, much to their credit, specifically banned the blasted things. Most airlines now seem to be including in their pre-flight announcements that it is not permitted to film the crew. I can only see more shops clarifying that the implied permission to enter does not include filming staff.

AlterEgo · 2026-09-05T11:17:11+0100

mayneway said:
Very good haha.
He is becoming a trend, a lot of people are talking about him and his tour. 90k followers is no easy task.

It's quite easy to get 90K followers if you make the content he is making, which involves harassing poorly paid front line staff and being racist. He has already been banned once from Tiktok, shortly after harassing some cafe staff in Cumbria which left the owner in tears.

He's 42 years old. It is a pathetic way for a man of that age to spend his time.

mayneway · 2026-09-05T11:35:11+0100

AlterEgo said:
It's quite easy to get 90K followers if you make the content he is making, which involves harassing poorly paid front line staff and being racist. He has already been banned once from Tiktok, shortly after harassing some cafe staff in Cumbria which left the owner in tears.

He's 42 years old. It is a pathetic way for a man of that age to spend his time.

Think we need to disagree on that. The majority of his interactions are very positive, but as a paying customer he is quite entitled to complain if he feels something isn’t right or is overpriced. His big think is business’s refusing cash. He simply says no thanks and walks away.

The cafe is an interesting one. He paid £13 for a breakfast and complained he thought it was overpriced. The cafe owner claimed since he published his footage she’s lost all her customers, so she paid £360 to an online food reviewer to come and try and make things right.

I don’t see how what he did is any different to leaving a bad google review.

He’s actually been banned 8 times by TikTok for duplicating videos he’s already posted.

AlterEgo · 2026-09-05T12:01:12+0100

mayneway said:
His big think is business’s refusing cash.

Colour me surprised.

mayneway said:
The cafe is an interesting one. He paid £13 for a breakfast and complained he thought it was overpriced. The cafe owner claimed since he published his footage she’s lost all her customers, so she paid £360 to an online food reviewer to come and try and make things right.

To whom and what's your source?

mayneway said:
I don’t see how what he did is any different to leaving a bad google review.

People are entitled to say whatever they like about a product but if you think £13.95 for a full English is some sort of rip off for locally sourced food you're telling on yourself. Naturally his audience decided to further harass the owner and bomb review sites with abuse and fake reviews. Funny how this sort of content attracts low wattage idiots as an audience, isn't it?

What about his racism and far right conspiracy theories, or his sexualised comments about teenage girls?

If you're sitting here defending this bloke you are wasting your time. He's a complete loser and I would cross a pub to avoid standing next to him. Hopefully he grows up a bit soon. Even in your 40s it isn't too late.

mayneway · 2026-09-05T12:41:42+0100

AlterEgo said:
Colour me surprised.

To whom and what's your source?

People are entitled to say whatever they like about a product but if you think £13.95 for a full English is some sort of rip off for locally sourced food you're telling on yourself. Naturally his audience decided to further harass the owner and bomb review sites with abuse and fake reviews. Funny how this sort of content attracts low wattage idiots as an audience, isn't it?

What about his racism and far right conspiracy theories, or his sexualised comments about teenage girls?

If you're sitting here defending this bloke you are wasting your time. He's a complete loser and I would cross a pub to avoid standing next to him. Hopefully he grows up a bit soon. Even in your 40s it isn't too late.

I’m not defending him at all, I find him Interesting to watch. I don’t agree with all his views and he’s certainly a little eccentric but I started this thread mainly to discuss the use of meta glasses in pubic not really the woes of the guy himself.

AlterEgo · 2026-09-05T13:06:08+0100

I think the two are inextricably linked. He's deeply problematic and is one of the most notable people using this product as a hidden camera. I don't think concealed filming is part of the social contract in this country. Open filming or vlogging is fine because people can object to it, and nearly everyone who does filming openly rarely has an issue because they aren't doing what this guy does - which is to put minimum wage workers on the spot while asking them about far right birth replacement theories, or make sexual comments about teenage girls before approaching them. This is why he is using the glasses and not a GoPro or something, because if these people knew they were being filmed they would likely object to it.

These glasses will be made illegal because of stuff like this.

brad465 · 2026-09-05T13:13:12+0100

What a specs offender.

mayneway · 2026-09-05T13:16:08+0100

AlterEgo said:
I think the two are inextricably linked. He's deeply problematic and is one of the most notable people using this product as a hidden camera. I don't think concealed filming is part of the social contract in this country. Open filming or vlogging is fine because people can object to it, and nearly everyone who does filming openly rarely has an issue because they aren't doing what this guy does - which is to put minimum wage workers on the spot while asking them about far right birth replacement theories, or make sexual comments about teenage girls before approaching them. This is why he is using the glasses and not a GoPro or something, because if these people knew they were being filmed they would likely object to it.

These glasses will be made illegal because of stuff like this.

Rubbish!
Firstly have you actually seen these glasses close up? A friend of mine uses them for his business and when recording there’s two flashing red lights either side of thr glasses.

As for him putting workers on minimum wage on the spot - the majority of his interactions are going into coffee shops and cafes and ordering quadruple expresso’s.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 13:23 ==

Prime example of one of his interactions on his page. Where do the cafe staff suggest they are on minimum wage? And is there any suggestion they are unhappy with him filming them?

TikTok - Make Your Day

AlterEgo · 2026-09-05T13:31:02+0100

mayneway said:
Rubbish!
Firstly have you actually seen these glasses close up?

Yes, I've tried a demonstrator before they were released at a YouTube Creator event.

mayneway said:
A friend of mine uses them for his business and when recording there’s two flashing red lights either side of thr glasses.

This can be covered up with cheap accessories you can buy off Temu.

mayneway said:
As for him putting workers on minimum wage on the spot - the majority of his interactions are going into coffee shops and cafes and ordering quadruple expresso’s.

Yes, the majority of them probably are. And then every so often he makes a sexual comment about a teenager or asks an Asian person about white replacement theory and breeding out the white race. Which is an interesting concern for someone like him and his audience, who don't appear to be likely to contribute to any sort of breeding any time soon. It's peak toxic rubbish, which appeals mostly to children and single older men with little ambition who have never graduated to a state of life where they have to take responsibility for anyone but themselves.

yorkie · 2026-09-05T13:33:47+0100

A reminder that forum rules require links to, and quotes from, external content, please. Not everyone can [easily] access external content, and this forum is inclusive, hence our forum rules regarding referring to such content.

As I saw this wasn't initially provided, and this led me to the BBC news story (which I hadn't seen at the time), this prompted me to investigate further. After watching just a handful of videos my conclusion is that this is very disturbing content.

mayneway said:
As for him putting workers on minimum wage on the spot - the majority of his interactions are going into coffee shops and cafes and ordering quadruple expresso’s.

...yes, but in an inappropriate, rude and disrespectful manner, such as this one:

'Brand new rizz barry'

Scott Margerison aka E Dobbin said:
How old are you? 19. You're very <censored> beautiful, aren't you?...

This was actually one of the milder encounters, they get far worse, such as:

'Cashier confusing king dobbin'

Scott Margerison aka E Dobbin said:
....Just so you know, some people do quad Espresso by doing a double and an extra shot, are you just doing two doubles?...You haven't made any sense of what I said

What he says is not only inappropriate here, but seems designed to cause confusion, for which he has the audacity to blame the server! Some of the comments on the video sum it up quite well:

Linda said:
You’re causing the bloody confusion mate!!!

Kenny said:
Yeah i get it.Dobs wanted 4 shots for the price of 3.

David said:
Just pay and do 1 pal.

Smoke & Sizzle said:
Making peoples life difficult, you want a quad so pay for a quad

gingercat said:
you asked for 2 doubles he was giving you 2 doubles, your the one that confused that

The young man serving him does an amazing job under very challenging circumstances, and in the end he gets a quad espresso for the price of a triple, and yet he still moans. Incredible.

Other interactions with young people in particular are disturbing such as:

'Edobbin at it again - part 2'

Scott Margerison aka E Dobbin said:
...How old are you both? 21. Both brand new, eh? You look so beautiful. Are you on TikTok..

The rest of the interaction is far too inappropriate to repeat here.

He also seems to want to tell young people what they should be thinking/doing in a really forceful unwanted way:

'Brand new lad escapes the Dobbin'

Scott Margerison aka E Dobbin said:
...How old are you? 20 year old ... you don't want to work. What you want to do is whatever money you get, try and invest it so it makes you money...

I am not sure if Scott Margerison himself added the caption "Brand new lad escapes the Dobbin", as it's difficult to keep track of which accounts are his and which aren't, but if he did, then this is clear evidence that he knows the interaction was not appropriate and that people want to get away from him, which says it all really.

There are also videos where he interacts with children in a manner that is clearly promoting his misogynistic and homophobic views; I am not going to link to, or quote from them, but I think the above is plenty of material for anyone who is unable to access the videos, or - very sensibly - simply feels not inclined to view the videos, to form an accurate opinion of what this individual is like.

If anyone enjoys this sort of content, thinks it's funny, and an appropriate way to interact with people, then I want nothing to do with them and I really wouldn't want any such person using this forum to be honest.

mayneway · 2026-09-05T13:44:47+0100

yorkie said:
The caption is "Brand new lad escapes the Dobbin", I am not sure if Scott Margerison himself added the caption, as it's difficult to keep track of which accounts are his and which aren't, but if he did, then this is clear evidence that he knows the interaction was not appropriate and that people want to get away from him.

According to Scott himself there’s over 60 fake accounts set up so it is hard to grasp what’s real and what’s not.

yorkie · 2026-09-05T13:47:02+0100

mayneway said:
According to Scott himself there’s over 60 fake accounts set up so it is hard to grasp what’s real and what’s not.

Either way, I don't think there is any doubt that the content is his.

If he didn't set that title, then maybe he doesn't have the self awareness to realise that people want to escape from him, but even if he is that ignorant and insensitive of others feelings, that's no excuse.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 13:57 ==

mayneway said:
Prime example of one of his interactions on his page. Where do the cafe staff suggest they are on minimum wage? And is there any suggestion they are unhappy with him filming them?

TikTok - Make Your Day

A reminder that you do need to provide a text alternative for people unable to access the video, please.

While they don't explicitly state they are 'unhappy with him filming them', my opinion of watching this is that they are hiding their true feelings and doing a fantastic job of tring their best to placate this weirdo, and not let on that they aren't interested in having such interactions.

They do such a good job that this weirdo doesn't suspect anything, but some people who are particularly good at reading body language would be able to tell that, in fact, they don't want to be engaging with him and aren't actually believing the absolute nonsense he is telling them. They've probably had conflict avoidance training and/or are experienced enough at their jobs to know how to do this; it is a skill that not everyone has.

Please don't take it as a criticism of you that you can't see they are unhappy; as I said above, they are clearly trying very hard not to let on that they are keen for the interaction to end, and are clearly being very successful at it!

Edit: OK, here is one more which demonstrates he isn't normal:

'Earth not moving? School books got you indoctrinated'

CapturedTV edobbin_clips · 7-15

Earth not moving? School books got you indoctrinated, lad. Some adults have experience you can't imagine. #Debate #FlatEarth #Conspiracy #MindBlown #Science

The video starts with him arguing with two lads who are probably about 15 ish, claiming that the earth is flat, and they disagree that the earth moves, he goes on to say:

No, we're not moving. No, no, the earth doesn't move, bro. Well let's go because I'm not enjoying this, because you're talking in textbook circles...

..didn't prove me wrong at all..

..you're a child, you're indoctrinated...

And here are some of the comments:

Well done lad! He always walks away, then get abusive

Runs away from kids when they outsmart him

If you feel the need to swear at a child you have 1. Anger issues 2. You know your wrong

nasty tone to him. and to decent young lads too.no need for it.

The lads react brilliantly, don't get angry and just find it funny.

However, I suspect one day he is going to make someone angry and may get some comeuppance.

This guy is so weird and bonkers, it would be impossible to parody him!

Rab Smith · 2026-09-05T14:32:11+0100

A whole thread dedicated to this creep.
Just what he wants.

yorkie · 2026-09-05T14:45:37+0100

Rab Smith said:
A whole thread dedicated to this creep.
Just what he wants.

Attention seekers like him crave 'likes' and 'followers' on their social media channels. They are not remotely interested in discussion forums.

Tetchytyke · 2026-09-05T15:03:27+0100

AlterEgo said:
He's 42 years old. It is a pathetic way for a man of that age to spend his time

Regrettably I saw part of the video a while back where he was at a far-right rally and sleazing all over a fifteen year old girl who was in attendance with her mother. Both were clearly very uncomfortable with the interaction but were, equally clearly, trying to hide it. Many people will try and placate people like this guy because, quite understandably, they know people like him don’t take well to challenge.

The fact that he’s still active on the socials and is clearly making money from his antics sums up everything that is wrong with the internet right now.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 15:04 ==

AlterEgo said:
These glasses will be made illegal because of stuff like this.

I can only hope so.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 15:08 ==

mayneway said:
I’m not defending him at all, I find him Interesting to watch.

You’ve talked before about your experiences driving buses in Manchester and some of the anti-social behaviour you’ve experienced. Given that, I am genuinely surprised you find this sort of content interesting. To me it’s just yet another muppet who should know better trying to wind up customer-facing staff for the lols, no different to the types of people who pelt eggs at buses.

Trackman · 2026-09-05T15:20:01+0100

mayneway said:
The cafe is an interesting one. He paid £13 for a breakfast and complained he thought it was overpriced. The cafe owner claimed since he published his footage she’s lost all her customers, so she paid £360 to an online food reviewer to come and try and make things right.

It was Danny Vs Food (of previous Rate Your Takeaway fame).
I've seen the video, I'd pay £13 for that all-day-breakfast.
He does charge for invited visits, but a clause in the contract; if the food is rubbish he will say so.

yorkie said:
Attention seekers like him crave 'likes' and 'followers' on their social media channels. They are not remotely interested in discussion forums.

Sums it up this.

Paul180 · 2026-09-05T19:59:51+0100

Tetchytyke said:
The Guardian road tested them and found the claim to, well, be a pile of nonsense.

I have spoken to blind people who use them and find them useful so I can say that Guardian arnica is a pile of nonsense!

Tik Tok sensation E Dobbin - Meta Glasses

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