Meta is updating its AI-powered smart glasses to close a privacy loophole that allowed wearers to keep recording after covering the front-facing LED, the indicator light designed to signal to bystanders that the camera is active. The fix converts a behavioral workaround into a hard technical boundary: obscure the light, and the camera shuts off.
Alex Himel, Meta's vice president of augmented reality, announced the change in a post on Threads, writing that "the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording." The update directly addresses a vulnerability that had earned the devices a damaging reputation as covert-recording hardware, summed up in the 'pervert glasses' moniker.
Alongside the technical fix, Meta is launching a new marketing campaign aimed at recasting the glasses in a more favorable light, though details of the campaign's creative direction have not been specified. The move underscores the tension facing always-ready wearable cameras: as the hardware pushes further into public spaces, closing even basic surveillance loopholes has become table stakes for public trust.