Meta's glasses will halt recording when the LED is covered.
Meta has revised its smart glasses so that the camera turns off when someone covers the recording light, marking the second such update within two months. Additionally, they are launching an advertising campaign to clarify the meaning of the LED indicator. European regulators have indicated that the issue is not with the light itself, but rather with the lack of a legal justification for filming bystanders.
On August 27, Alex Himel, head of Meta’s wearables division, shared this update on Threads. The vulnerability it addresses was not complex: starting a recording and then using a finger or tape to obscure the LED.
This is the second update of the summer; a prior change disabled the camera when users removed the LED from the frame. Both modifications came after the glasses were already being worn by users.
Himel has not guaranteed this will be the last change. He mentioned that Meta will continue to release updates to ensure the capture LED can effectively notify bystanders when photos or videos are being recorded.
The advertising campaign also aims to inform people about the light's meaning. Separately, Meta’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, has suggested the idea of glasses without a camera, as reported by CNET.
However, these updates do not address the ongoing debate in Europe. The concern there is not that the light can be obstructed, but that the presence of a light does not equate to consent. In June, France’s data protection regulator stated that technical notification devices “have only a limited range and therefore appear insufficient,” emphasizing that users must respect the privacy of those they film and obtain consent when necessary.
The advertisement campaign takes a different approach, encouraging bystanders to learn the signal, while the obligation under European law lies with the person recording.
Regulators are taking a firmer stance; Hamburg’s data protection commissioner has suggested that the glasses may already violate German laws concerning concealed recording devices, and the European Data Protection Board has an upcoming report on this issue.
The timing is problematic, as this report was expected by the end of summer, and Meta Connect is set to happen on September 23, with new glasses anticipated to be revealed.
Brussels has been inquiring for months, with two Italian MEPs contacting the Irish regulator in March regarding reviewers in Kenya viewing footage captured by the glasses.
Thus, while the LED is being developed into a more dependable feature, this effort is unlikely to resolve the concerns surrounding Meta and GDPR compliance.
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