{"slug": "meta-tweaks-ai-glasses-to-block-some-creepy-recordings-but-privacy-risks-remain", "title": "Meta tweaks AI glasses to block some creepy recordings, but privacy risks remain", "summary": "Meta is rolling out an update to its AI glasses that will stop the camera if the LED indicator light is covered during recording, closing a loophole that allowed users to hide the recording light. The change, announced by Alex Himel, Meta's executive vice president of wearables, aims to alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured, but privacy risks remain as bad actors may still mod the glasses or use semi-transparent stickers. The European Union is probing privacy concerns, and Germany is considering banning the glasses after a criminal complaint.", "body_md": "Meta is rolling out an obvious fix to make its AI glasses less creepy amid [backlash over the glasses’ non-consensual recordings that have flooded the Internet](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/meta-ai-glasses-may-get-creepier-and-apps-that-detect-them-arent-perfect/).\n\nOn Friday, The Verge [reported](https://www.theverge.com/tech/985851/meta-privacy-loophole-fix-marketing-campaign) that Meta closed a loophole that made it easy for smart-glasses users to cover up an LED light that is supposed to alert bystanders that the device is actively recording. Meta had previously deactivated recording if a user attempted to start capturing video after placing a sticker over the light, but people quickly learned that they could get around that by reversing the order of the steps and covering up the light after they started recording.\n\nIn a [post](https://www.threads.com/@ahimel/post/DcjTatTGyn-) on Threads, Meta’s executive vice president of wearables, Alex Himel, explained that an update would be rolled out soon that ensures that “the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording.” That way “the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured for someone’s gallery,” Himel said.\n\nAccording to Himel, “only a tiny minority of people try to get around these protections, and the fact they have to go to these lengths shows our efforts are working. We’ll keep improving and evolving our approach.”\n\nHowever, bad actors may still be able to mod the glasses or tamper with the light without impacting recordings. And it’s unclear if popular bypasses, like using semi-transparent stickers that make the light less noticeable, would block recording under Meta’s new safeguard.\n\nData regulators in the European Union are currently probing privacy concerns with Meta’s glasses and have suggested that Meta may not have properly field-tested the LED light to ensure that the public would understand its safety functionality. Germany is considering banning the glasses after a nonprofit filed a criminal complaint alleging that they breach Germany’s strict privacy laws, Politico [reported](https://www.politico.eu/article/meta-ai-glasses-face-criminal-complaint-in-germany/). And Germany is not alone, as many countries in the EU mull a crackdown on the technology, which they see as invasive and carrying a risk of expanding mass surveillance. Another Politico [report](https://www.politico.eu/article/new-privacy-frontier-europe-eyes-crackdown-smart-glasses/) confirmed that the European Data Protection Board will release a report later this summer to decide what actions should be taken to ensure no one in the EU is recorded without their consent.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/meta-tweaks-ai-glasses-to-block-some-creepy-recordings-but-privacy-risks-remain", "canonical_source": "https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/meta-tweaks-ai-glasses-to-block-some-creepy-recordings-but-privacy-risks-remain/", "published_at": "2026-08-28 15:42:24+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-28 15:48:08.396046+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-products", "ai-ethics", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Meta", "Alex Himel", "The Verge", "European Union", "Germany", "European Data Protection Board", "Politico"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/meta-tweaks-ai-glasses-to-block-some-creepy-recordings-but-privacy-risks-remain", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/meta-tweaks-ai-glasses-to-block-some-creepy-recordings-but-privacy-risks-remain.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/meta-tweaks-ai-glasses-to-block-some-creepy-recordings-but-privacy-risks-remain.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/meta-tweaks-ai-glasses-to-block-some-creepy-recordings-but-privacy-risks-remain.jsonld"}}