Meta’s Glasses Now Stop Recording if You Cover the LED
The camera now shuts off if the LED is covered mid-recording, while the CNIL has already stated that notification devices are insufficient by design and the EDPB report on smart glasses is due within weeks.
Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses
Credit: TNW
Meta has updated its smart glasses so the camera stops when someone covers the recording light, the second such fix in two months, and is running an ad campaign explaining what the LED means. European regulators have argued that the issue lies not with the light but with the lack of a lawful basis for filming bystanders.
Meta Has Updated Its Smart Glasses
According to Alex Himel, who leads Meta’s wearables division, posted on Threads on August 27th:
The loophole it closes was not sophisticated. Start a recording, then put a finger or a strip of tape over the LED.
This is the second fix this summer; an earlier update disabled the camera when users removed the LED entirely from the frame. Both updates came after the glasses were already in use.
Himel does not promise these are the final fixes. Meta plans to “keep rolling out updates like this to make sure the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured.”
There is also an advertising campaign explaining what the light signifies. Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, has previously proposed glasses with no camera at all, as reported by CNET.
Regulatory Debates in Europe
The European debate centers around consent and privacy, not the physical coverage of the LED. France’s data protection regulator (CNIL) noted in June that technical notification devices are insufficient, emphasizing that wearers must respect the privacy of those they film and obtain appropriate consent.
Regulators have taken a harder stance. Hamburg’s data protection commissioner has suggested the glasses might already violate German laws on hidden recording equipment, and the European Data Protection Board is set to release a report soon.
Timing and Future Plans
The timing of these developments is notable; the EDPB report was due by the end of summer, and Meta Connect launches on September 23rd with new glasses expected. Brussels has been questioning Meta for months, with Italian MEPs reaching out to Ireland’s data regulator in March regarding footage captured by the glasses in Kenya.
While the LED is being improved, it wasn’t the key issue holding Meta accountable under GDPR. The real question revolves around consent and privacy regulations.