Meta Tightens AI Glasses Privacy After Unauthorised Filming Complaints

Meta has introduced new privacy safeguards for its AI-powered smart glasses following reports of users filming people without their consent. The company has confirmed that the glasses' cameras will now be automatically disabled if the built-in LED indicator light is physically tampered with.

Earlier, the LED light only had to be covered before recording began to lock the recording function. Under the updated mechanism, covering the light after recording has started will also trigger a camera shutdown, according to the company.

The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the device's privacy implications. A class-action lawsuit filed in March accuses Meta of misrepresenting its privacy practices. The legal challenge followed a joint investigation by Swedish newspapers which alleged that content captured by the glasses was stored and shared with human reviewers for AI model training.

In a separate incident reported in August, a woman discovered a video of herself on social media that she said was filmed without her knowledge or permission by a man wearing the glasses.

To address these concerns, Meta is also launching a public awareness campaign across social media and billboards to help people recognise when the glasses are recording. Additional steps include removing online posts that provide tampering instructions, taking down thousands of harassing posts linked to prank and pickup artist content, and blocking search terms and hashtags associated with violating material.

Meta has reported selling over seven million pairs of its smart glasses in 2025.