Meta makes AI glasses slightly less creepy with limit on nonconsensual recording

Key Points:

• Meta is addressing privacy concerns with its AI smart glasses by releasing an update that disables the camera if the recording LED light is covered during use, aiming to prevent non-consensual recordings.
• The company closed a loophole that allowed users to bypass the LED light alert by covering it after starting a recording, but some privacy risks remain, including potential tampering with the device.
• European regulators are investigating Meta’s glasses over privacy issues, with Germany considering a ban and the EU planning a report on consent and surveillance risks later this summer.
• A proposed US class action lawsuit accuses Meta of false advertising, alleging the company misled consumers about privacy protections and failed to disclose that human reviewers in Kenya watch sensitive footage captured by the glasses.
• Plaintiffs seek damages and a court order to stop Meta from marketing the glasses as privacy-protecting, arguing that the company exploits user data without adequate safeguards, exposing users and bystanders to significant privacy harms.