Meta's glasses will now halt recording if you cover the LED.

      Meta has made updates to its smart glasses so that the camera shuts off when the recording light is covered. This marks the second fix implemented in two months, and there is now an advertising campaign to clarify the meaning of the LED. European regulators have indicated that the issue is not the light itself, but rather the lack of a legal basis for filming individuals without their consent.

      On August 27, Alex Himel, who leads Meta's wearables division, announced this change on Threads. The vulnerability it addresses was rather straightforward; users could simply start a recording and then cover the LED with a finger or a piece of tape. This is the second fix introduced this summer, following an earlier update that disabled the camera if users removed the LED completely from the frame. Both updates were released after the glasses were already being used.

      Himel has indicated that this may not be the final update, as Meta plans to "continue rolling out updates like this to ensure that the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being taken," he stated. Additionally, there is an advertising campaign aimed at teaching bystanders about what the light signifies. Meanwhile, Meta's chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, has suggested the idea of glasses that don’t have a camera at all, as reported by CNET.

      However, this does not address the ongoing discussion in Europe. The main concern raised there was not about the ability to cover the light, but rather that the light itself does not constitute consent. France's data protection authority made a similar point in June, stating that technical notification devices “have only a limited range and therefore appear insufficient.” The CNIL added that wearers must respect the privacy of individuals they film and obtain consent when necessary.

      The advertising campaign seems to flip the expectation, encouraging bystanders to recognize a signal, whereas the legal responsibility under European law rests with those recording. Regulators have been taking more serious measures. The data protection commissioner in Hamburg has expressed concerns that the glasses might already violate German regulations regarding concealed recording equipment. Additionally, the European Data Protection Board is preparing a report on this matter.

      The timing is awkward, as the report was expected to be released by the end of summer, while Meta Connect is set for September 23, where new glasses are anticipated. Brussels has been raising inquiries for months; in March, two Italian MEPs reached out to the Irish regulator regarding reviewers in Kenya who were viewing footage captured by these glasses.

      Thus, the LED is being refined to become a more reliable feature, and this effort is worthwhile. However, it was never the primary issue that stood between Meta and a GDPR determination.