// ARS TECHNICA — INTELLIGENZA ARTIFICIALE
Meta makes AI glasses slightly less creepy with limit on nonconsensual recording
Meta fixes AI glasses to stop recording any time users cover up the safety light.
Meta is rolling out an obvious fix to make its AI glasses less creepy amid backlash over the glasses’ non-consensual recordings that have flooded the Internet.
On Friday, The Verge reported that Meta closed a loophole that made it easy for smart-glasses users to cover up an LED light that is supposed to alert bystanders that the device is actively recording. Meta had previously deactivated recording if a user attempted to start capturing video after placing a sticker over the light, but people quickly learned that they could get around that by reversing the order of the steps and covering up the light after they started recording.
In a post on Threads, Meta’s executive vice president of wearables, Alex Himel, explained that an update would be rolled out soon that ensures that “the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording.” That way “the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured for someone’s gallery,” Himel said.
According to Himel, “only a tiny minority of people try to get around these protections, and the fact they have to go to these lengths shows our efforts are working. We’ll keep improving and evolving our approach.”
However, bad actors may still be able to mod the glasses or tamper with the light without impacting recordings. And it’s unclear if popular bypasses, like using semi-transparent stickers that make the light less noticeable, would block recording under Meta’s new safeguard.
Data regulators in the European Union are currently probing privacy concerns with Meta’s glasses and have suggested that Meta may not have properly field-tested the LED light to ensure that the public would understand its safety functionality. Germany is considering banning the glasses after a nonprofit filed a criminal complaint alleging that they breach Germany’s strict privacy laws, Politico reported. And Germany is not alone, as many countries in the EU mull a crackdown on the technology, which they see as invasive and carrying a risk of expanding mass surveillance. Another Politico report confirmed that the European Data Protection Board will release a report later this summer to decide what actions should be taken to ensure no one in the EU is recorded without their consent.
Meanwhile, there’s a proposed nationwide class action lawsuit advancing in the US that accuses Meta of continually lying about privacy risks in the marketing of its AI glasses. Meta has yet to file a response in that litigation, but in its statements and marketing campaigns, the tech giant continues to insist the glasses are designed with privacy in mind.
In addition to the tweak to block some smart-glasses users from bypassing the only safeguard that helps prevent nonconsensual recording, Meta also launched a new marketing campaign to spread awareness about the LED light feature, The Verge reported.
In Los Angeles, for example, there’s a billboard that shows an image of a smiling girl wearing Meta glasses, with her fingers placed to draw attention to the recording light that shines as bright as her grin. The caption reads, “The camera lets you capture the moment. The light lets everyone around you know when you do.”