'No light, no capture.' Meta cracks down on modified smart glasses
In a new digital campaign, Meta is reiterating intolerance for the altercation of its smart glasses.
In a social media video posted on Aug. 27, Meta discouraged users from modifying the capture LED light on Meta Glasses. Located on the front frame, the white LED indicates when the glasses are recording. In recent months, individuals and even some small businesses have taken to social media to promote services to remove the light. Once removed, there is not an easy way to know that the glasses are capturing video, making it easier for wearers to record without others realizing.
"We made Meta Glasses to be noticed. Before the styles and colors, we designed the light. It signals when the glasses are capturing photos and videos," the social media video says. "No light, no capture."
Meta has already issued cease and desist letters to individuals modifying the smart glasses, spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby previously told USA TODAY. El-Kassaby did not indicate how many letters had been sent.
A search for "Meta Glasses remove light" on TikTok brings up countless videos uploaded within the past year. Many of the videos, which also appear to be recorded with smart glasses, show content creators meeting with customers, drilling out the LED lights on the glasses, then returning the "upgraded" glasses to happy customers. Several of the accounts tout turnaround times as quick as 15 minutes.
However, these videos were posted before July, which is when Meta rolled out a new update that disables the smart glasses camera when it is altered.
"The fact that people engaged in this kind of misuse are now stopping demonstrates that our efforts are working. We expect this to continue," El-Kassaby told USA TODAY.
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In response to an increase in these services, Meta claims it is "continuously improving" its ability to detect such modifications, according to a July news release . The announcement outlines that with a new update, the camera on Meta Glasses will disable if the light is "physically tampered with or destroyed."
Additionally, Meta says it works to remove advertisements, posts and Facebook Marketplace listings that advertise such services, per the July news release.
"We will take action, up to banning accounts that do this," the news release continues. "We also take legal action against people or businesses that sell services designed for tampering with the capture LED, both on and off our own platforms."
Why do people want to remove the LED light on Meta Glasses?
Simply put, consumers are removing LED lights on Meta Glasses to make it easier to record photos and videos without others knowing. Why consumers are interested in that varies.
Several social media trends, including the Meta glasses pickup artist , are encouraging young people to remove the lights. As a self-defined "pickup artist," young men wearing the smart glasses are approaching and hitting on women in public spaces while recording their interactions. The trend has been touted in the Manosphere by social media personalities like Andrew Tate , even before smart glasses were as commonplace as they are now.
The University of Sydney released a report on Aug. 11 that in an analysis of 350 publicly available Instagram videos shared between 2023 and 2026, there was a noticeable shift in discreet, point-of-view videos shared on the platform.
El-Kassaby told USA TODAY that Meta is actively blocking search terms and hashtags associated with trends like these, including "pickup artist," "rizz" and "cold approach."
What does the internet have to say?
Though there are plenty of videos and Reddit threads online that show consumers how to remove the LED light, or get someone else to, there is also plenty of commentary from those bothered by removal of the light.
Content creator Kimberlyonline described the removal of the LED lights as "utterly disgusting" in a July TikTok video .
"I didn't know this was happening until my friend in tech showed me all of these videos ... so basically teaching people how to be a creep or film people without their consent," she said. "Meta just released a new update to stop this from happening on their Ray Ban glasses, which is great, but the bad news means that up until now, there is a chance that you have been secretly recorded without your consent.
Content creator Tiesyn expressed a similar sentiment in a July TikTok video .
"I'm so glad Meta finally did something to stop these weirdos," he said. "To me, I don't see a valid reason as to why you'd need that light to be drilled out, for it to not be flashing when you're recording people."
Some have taken to social media to argue that smartphone cameras don't offer a bright light that indicate when photos or videos are being captured, so why should the glasses?
"So everyone with a phone who's camera doesn't flash when recording is a creep?" one Reddit user said in the Ray Ban Meta sub-Reddit . "See how that makes no sense."
But Tisyn said comparing the two isn't the same.
"If you are recording in public, it's just common courtesy, it's just common decency to let the other person know that you are recording them. At least if you're recording on your phone, you can see, 'Oh, you have this big ... phone in your hand.' But with Meta Glasses, you can't tell the difference," the creator said. "The issue is, when you drill out that light in Meta Glasses, you can record in private places without people knowing. Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Chanel Contos, CEO and founder of the Australian nonprofit Tech Us Consent , told the University of Sydney that addressing this privacy issue is a matter of urgency.
"We all deserve privacy, even in public spaces. It's not just a right forfeited every time we leave the house," Contos said. "At best, smart glasses normalize filming and sharing people without their consent, feeding algorithms designed to reward voyeuristic, rage-baiting content. At worst, they are used as a tool for the sexual exploitation of children, women and other vulnerable groups."
This story has been updated to add new information.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected] .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Unlimited Use: 'No light, no capture.' Meta cracks down on modified smart glasses
