Meta’s glasses will turn off the camera if you tamper with the privacy light
The company is rolling out an update following increased scrutiny of its smart glasses.
Even so, the privacy LED light is still hard to see. It’s on in this photo. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Amid public backlash over its smart glasses, Meta announced that it will be updating its glasses with a new feature that will disable the camera when it detects that someone has tampered with or destroyed the glasses’ privacy LED light. The update is meant to address modders who have taken actions such as physically drilling into the LED light.
Meta has previously tried to discourage tampering with the LED light. For example, starting with its second generation glasses, blocking the light with tape or other objects will trigger a prompt asking users to uncover the recording light. However, many modders have found various workarounds for that particular measure.
Meta’s VP of wearables Alex Himel told The Verge that the privacy-focused update was on the way a few weeks ago after launching cheaper Meta Glasses without Ray-Ban branding. At the time, Himel acknowledged that the company was aware of increasing misuse alongside wider adoption of the devices.
The update comes at a time when Meta is facing criticism online regarding reported plans to add facial recognition to its glasses, as well as reports of bad actors harassing young women using its devices. Privacy concerns have also led some public venues to mull banning the devices. Just today, Syracuse.com reported that New York State will begin banning camera glasses from all courtrooms later this month. This follows similar moves from Philadelphia courts, as well as cruise lines restricting smart glasses use in common areas.
