Meta AI glasses to stop recording if capture LED is covered

Meta is rolling out an update to its AI-powered smart glasses that will cease recording if a user covers the front-facing capture LED after initiating a recording. This change aims to prevent continued recording when the indicator light is obstructed.

Alex Himel, Meta's vice president of augmented reality, stated on Threads that the update improves the reliability of the capture LED. The camera will now fail to start recording if the LED is blocked, and will also stop recording if the light is covered mid-session.

The company's smart glasses have faced scrutiny over whether the small indicator light adequately alerts bystanders to recording. Meta has previously removed thousands of posts related to harassment and prank content facilitated by the glasses.

In July, Meta introduced a safeguard to disable the camera upon detecting physical tampering with the LED. The company's privacy guidance states the camera automatically shuts off if the LED is covered, damaged, or tampered with.

The issue has also prompted legal action in India. On August 24, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) sent a legal notice to Meta regarding a recording made at a café in Delhi. The notice, filed on behalf of an individual identified as Mr. X, names both Meta and the Instagram creator involved, seeking content removal, disclosure, an apology, evidence preservation, and damages.

According to the notice, Mr. X was allegedly unaware of the recording made by the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. The footage was later posted on Instagram, garnering significant views and raising questions about Meta's responsibility as both the device manufacturer and the platform hosting the content.

Privacy concerns have also extended to Meta's data handling practices. A BBC report indicated that outsourced workers in Kenya had access to sensitive footage captured by the glasses, a practice Meta acknowledged for product improvement purposes.

While the latest update addresses a specific technical vulnerability, broader privacy questions about the adequacy of a visual cue for bystanders and the legal implications of covert recording in public spaces remain unresolved.