Meta is cracking down on secret video recording from its smart glasses.
Each pair of the Californian firm's smart glasses ships with a built-in camera and LED light. The latter flashes when you're taking a photo and keeps blinking while recording video. It's a critical privacy safeguard, so you're unable to capture photos and videos of your experiences hands-free without others knowing.
But not everyone wants to be transparent that they're recording, arguing they want to be more discreet with their use during events like a fashion show or sports game. A few reports of bad actors using the glasses to harass young women have also surfaced.
Some users have even taken extreme measures to have the light removed altogether. To combat this, Meta has rolled out a mandatory update for its smart specs — completely shutting down the camera the moment that someone messes with the privacy indicator light.
Meta said in a statement: "The camera is disabled when people try to do this. Beginning with our second generation of glasses, the camera is automatically disabled if we detect that the capture LED has been blocked. No photos or videos can be taken until we detect that the light is unblocked.
"Since the introduction of this safeguard, we’ve seen some people go beyond using tape to sophisticated efforts to modify or destroy the capture LED. We are continuously improving our ability to detect tampering, and now we’re updating the glasses to disable the camera if they detect the LED was physically tampered with or destroyed. No other kind of camera has done this and we’re proud to lead the industry forward."
Before, the glasses would only stop recording if they detected that the light was blocked by a cover, such as tape. But nefarious Meta Ray-Ban owners found ways to have the light removed without destroying other features of the glasses.
More than half of the US states were found to have specialists advertising the service to have the light dismantled, as told by former Wall Street journalist Joanna Stern, in a YouTube video.
Since Ms Stern's reporting, several of these advertisements have been removed.
Meta continues in their statement: "In addition to disabling the camera on devices when tampering is detected, we work across Meta to remove ads, posts, and Marketplace listings that advertise these kinds of tampering services and we will take action, up to banning accounts that do this.
"We also take legal action against people or businesses that sell services designed for tampering with the capture LED — both on and off our own platforms."
Meta has also undergone a lot of backlash in recent months regarding their glasses.
Videos from Meta Ray-Ban glasses of people undressing and using the toilet are being watched, a report claims.
High-resolution video filmed by the Meta-designed glasses is purportedly being reviewed by contractors at a Kenya-based company called Sama — a company responsible for training data that powers your computer vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
Workers at the Nairobi facility say they've seen everything from people going to the toilet, getting undressed, and even having sex. According to the bombshell new report, the footage arrives at their workstations largely unfiltered, meaning the Nairobi-based data annotators are watching deeply personal moments from glasses wearers.
The report has sparked outrage, with Will Wang, Even Realities' CEO, saying the rush to stick cameras on smart glasses is "really irresponsible."
Since the widespread rollout of the futuristic eyewear, public venues are taking matters into their own hands amid privacy concerns.
New York State is set to ban camera glasses from all courtrooms later this month. It's a significant move that follows similar restrictions already in place in select Pennsylvania courts.
Cruise lines have also jumped on board, limiting where passengers can use these devices in common areas.
And Meta isn't the only firm to be selling smart glasses. Google is taking a swing with its first pair of AI specs since its Google Glass Flop. Samsung's long-awaited version could make an appearance at its Galaxy Unpacked event later this month. Tech firm Oura has also been rumoured to be crafting its first pair.
