'Perv Glasses': Meta's Smart Glasses Are Turning Into a Privacy Scandal

In an era of facial recognition, biometric scanning and mass data collection, the "arms race" to protect personal privacy shows no sign of slowing. That anxiety is now being amplified by wearable devices — smart glasses in particular — as people come up with ways to avoid being filmed in public: some jokingly suggest singing Disney songs, while others turn to dedicated apps.

And that anxiety isn't unfounded. Meta's camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta glasses have picked up the nickname "perv glasses" among the public, following documented cases of people being filmed while changing clothes. The company has even been dragged into litigation: one investigation revealed that Meta's subcontractors were reviewing users' most private moments. As Harvard professor Jim Waldo put it: "We're living in a strange time. The convergence of Meta's glasses, facial recognition technology, artificial intelligence and a number of other technologies is pushing us into an environment we're not yet ready for."

The problem is serious enough that even Instagram has had to step in — the platform has banned a number of accounts with millions of followers for violating content policies by livestreaming through Meta's glasses. A white LED light on the front of the glasses lights up during recording and, according to Meta, cannot be switched off — but experts say that isn't enough. "They're providing safety for the consumer, but not for the people around the consumer," Waldo said.

According to an analysis by researchers at the University of Sydney, "dating advice" content circulating on social media — in which men secretly film themselves approaching women on the street — has surged in recent years. Of more than 350 videos analyzed, 60% showed behavior with the hallmarks of potential harassment, and in 43% of cases women were subjected to demeaning comments or had their personal information exposed. "All of this should give us serious cause for concern," said the study's lead author, Dr. Milica Stilinovic.

In response, users are searching for various ways to protect themselves. A free app called Nearby Glasses, developed by professor Yves Jeanrenaud, warns users when Meta glasses are nearby and has been downloaded more than 100,000 times on Google Play. Meanwhile, legal expert Jin Kang points out that copyright-based defenses — such as "protecting yourself by singing Disney songs" — are largely ineffective: "If you're the one being filmed, you have no copyright claim over the composition." In her view, privacy-based legal claims are likely to be far more effective in such cases.

All of this shows that as wearable devices equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence become more widespread, the issue of privacy and non-consensual filming in public spaces is turning into not just a technological problem but a legal one as well — and clear legal boundaries on the matter have yet to be established.