The small camera is installed Meta’s AI smart glasses has become a problem for the company and the public.
Photos and videos made with Meta glasses have spread on social media, and not all of them can be reached by consensus. Clips of content creators harassing women and secretly recording their reactions have become a trend, raising privacy concerns.
“Are you a secret code?” a male content creator asked a woman in an Instagram video. “Because I’m trying to crack you.” Some social media users have called Meta’s product “perverted glasses.”
It all looks bad for Meta. So the company is taking steps to get ahead of the negativity. It recently published new privacy settings for its glasses and launched a PR blitz to explain them.
For example, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth posted an Instagram video on Friday explaining how the smart glasses’ hands-free camera works.
“We designed this camera to be noticed by the people around you, so every pair of glasses we make includes a recording LED on the front that lights up when someone is taking photos or videos for the gallery,” said Bosworth.
Bosworth said the camera does not have an off switch. It stops working when people try to hide or disable it.
“We’ve covered this issue all the way across Meta and we’ve removed content and even entire accounts associated with people abusing the glasses,” Bosworth said.
Alex Himel, the vice president of wearables at Meta, also tried to calm nerves in a Threads post on Friday. He said Meta smart glasses won’t allow users to record if the camera’s LED light is blocked before or during recording.
“We will continue to roll out updates like this to ensure that the recording LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being taken for someone’s gallery,” Himel said.
Although the company has suspended accounts that use the cameras to harass people, Business Insider’s Katie Notopoulos reported last week that it hasn’t been able to catch them all.
Meta has taken steps to make their smart glasses an indispensable accessory. The company has partnered with megastars such as Kylie Jenner and Teyana Taylor, and it produced a star-studded Super Bowl LX ad to drum up the hype.
As smart AI glasses become more accessible, some event organizers and venues are taking a cautious approach to guests. Burning man told attendees at the 2026 festival, which starts Monday, that they can bring smart glasses but must get permission before filming anyone. Basement nightclub in New York City has updated its policy on no photos and videos featuring smart glasses.
“Anyone who brings smart glasses to the venue, whether wearing them or carrying them in a bag, will be asked to leave and may be permanently banned,” the venue said in an Instagram post on Friday.
Organizers of the DEFCON Hacking Conference told attendees in July that smart glasses and similar items are banned.
In his Instagram video, Bosworth urged users to look out for the LED light that indicates the cameras are recording.
“Please remember,” he added, “the light is for everyone.”
