Meta is cracking down on covert recording with its Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, even as it reportedly tests a prototype which may raise even more privacy concerns.
In a blog post this week, Meta said it is updating the second-generation smart glasses so the camera will shut off if the device detects the LED that lights up during recording has been tampered with or destroyed. The glasses already disable the camera when the LED is covered.
Meta said in the blog post that a blinking LED is an appropriate visual warning to deter covert photography, arguing that a camera-shutter sound that’s loud enough for people nearby to hear would not be practical for its glasses.
Still, at the heart of the privacy debate is how easily smart glasses, like those made by Meta, allow someone to record another person without attracting attention. While a smartphone generally has to be pointed directly at someone to record them, glasses can capture photos or video simply by looking at them.
The LED recording light, which has been a standard feature on Meta’s line of smart glasses since they were first released in 2021, was meant to address that concern. But critics have questioned how effective it has been, partly because some people don’t recognize what the blinking light means or can’t see it well in the daytime—also because some users have found ways to disable it.
