Meta AI glasses are getting a software change designed to curb some nonconsensual recordings, as the company faces mounting criticism over footage captured without bystanders’ knowledge spreading across the internet.
The update targets a well-known loophole. The smart glasses include an LED light meant to signal when the device is actively recording. Previously, Meta disabled recording if a user tried to start capturing video after placing a sticker over that light. But users quickly discovered a workaround: they could start recording first and then cover the light afterward.
Alex Himel, Meta’s executive vice president of wearables, announced on Threads that a forthcoming update will close that gap. Going forward, “the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording,” he wrote. The goal, according to Himel, is to make sure “the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured for someone’s gallery.”
Himel added that “only a tiny minority of people try to get around these protections, and the fact they have to go to these lengths shows our efforts are working,” noting that the company will “keep improving and evolving our approach.”
Gaps in the New Safeguard
The fix has clear limits. Bad actors may still modify the glasses or tamper with the light without affecting recording. It also remains unclear whether common bypass methods, such as semi-transparent stickers that dim the light rather than block it entirely, would trigger the new protection and halt recording.
Alongside the software change, Meta launched a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the LED feature. In Los Angeles, a billboard shows a smiling girl wearing the glasses, drawing attention to the recording light. The caption reads: “The camera lets you capture the moment. The light lets everyone around you know when you do.”
Regulatory and Legal Pressure Builds
Scrutiny is intensifying abroad. Data regulators in the European Union are investigating privacy concerns tied to the glasses and have suggested Meta may not have properly field-tested the LED light to confirm the public understands its safety function. Germany is weighing a ban after a nonprofit filed a criminal complaint alleging the devices violate the country’s strict privacy laws.
Germany is not alone. Several EU countries are considering restrictions on the technology, which they view as invasive and a potential driver of expanded mass surveillance. The European Data Protection Board is expected to release a report this summer outlining what steps should be taken to prevent people in the EU from being recorded without consent.
In the United States, a proposed nationwide class action lawsuit is moving forward, accusing Meta of repeatedly misrepresenting privacy risks in the marketing of its AI glasses. Meta has not yet filed a response in that case. In its public statements and advertising, the company continues to maintain that the glasses are built with privacy in mind.
Source
Image: arstechnica.com
