A hot potato: The ability of smart glasses to record and photograph people without their knowledge or consent has long been one of the devices' most controversial aspects. Meta's glasses come with an LED light to show when they're recording, but some individuals have found ways to stop this indicator. Now, the social media giant says it will disable the onboard camera if someone tampers with the light.
Hacking Meta glasses so the white LED light doesn't blink continuously when they're recording has become a business. It was recently found that this service was being offered in 30 states. In one case, a man charged $100 to remove the LED using a drill, dental probe, and some tape.
With its second-generation of glasses, covering the light with tape or object would cause the camera to be disabled, meaning no photos or videos could be taken. This led to a black market industry in which modders charged to disable the LED entirely.
Now, Meta has explained what it is doing to address the problem in an FAQ. It admits that some people "go beyond using tape to sophisticated efforts to modify or destroy the capture LED." As such, the devices are being updated so the camera is disabled if the system detects that the light has been tampered with or physically destroyed. The software update is mandatory and currently rolling out.
Meta is also addressing those services that advertise LED tampering. It is working across its social media platforms to remove ads, posts, and Marketplace listings that advertise these kinds of tampering services, banning any accounts that do this.
Meta added that it will take legal action against people or businesses that sell services designed for tampering with the capture LED, both on and off its own platforms.
Meta's VP of wearables, Alex Himel, told The Verge that the update was in the works a few weeks ago, after Meta launched its cheaper Meta glasses without the Ray-Ban branding. Himel said Meta was aware at the time of the increasing amount of misuse of the glasses.
In February, a judge in Meta's child-harm trial warned that anyone wearing smart glasses that recorded the proceedings could face contempt of court charges. There was also a case last year in which a TikTok user claimed she visited a European Wax Center in Manhattan and discovered that her aesthetician was wearing Meta Ray-Bans glasses
Meta will disable your smart glasses' camera if you tamper with the recording light
