Meta smart glasses privacy is back under scrutiny after activist groups targeted the company’s eyewear ads in New York City, London, and Washington, DC, and Meta moved to tighten controls on how the glasses can record people.
The Verge reported that satirical posters were placed over Meta smart glasses ads in those cities. One poster described the glasses as “the biggest advancement in pervert technology since the trenchcoat.” Another changed an ad featuring Kylie Jenner, who has partnered with Meta as a glasses ambassador, to read “mass surveillance predator glasses.”
The campaign is aimed at the core problem with camera glasses: people nearby may not know when they are being recorded, or may know too late to object. Meta’s current privacy signal has centered on a recording indicator light, backed by usage rules that tell owners not to misuse the device. That is a fragile setup when the hardware sits on someone’s face and the people being filmed are not the customers.
What is Meta changing about smart glasses privacy?
Meta recently announced a mandatory software update that will disable the camera on its smart glasses if the privacy light has been physically tampered with, according to The Verge. In plain terms, the glasses are supposed to stop recording if someone tries to defeat the visible cue that tells bystanders the camera is active.
That change follows reports over the past three years of Meta smart glasses owners filming people without consent, including sexualized videos, The Verge reported. Some incidents involved the recording LED being disabled. In a recent conversation with The Verge, Alex Himel, Meta’s vice president of wearables, said the company had become aware of a growing number of people tampering with the devices.
Instagram is also drawing a line around some content made with the glasses. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said the platform will remove videos recorded with Meta’s glasses when those videos show harassment, according to The Verge.
That gives Meta two separate enforcement points: the device can cut off camera access when the indicator light is altered, and Instagram can remove some uploaded videos after the fact. The first approach tries to block covert recording at the hardware level. The second depends on moderation, which means Meta still has to decide what counts as harassment in specific clips.
The company’s problem is not a lack of cards to play. Meta controls the glasses, the software update path, and one of the main platforms where this footage may end up. The harder question is whether a tamper check and Instagram takedowns are enough to convince people who did not agree to appear in the frame.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
