Meta’s Smart Glasses Are Still Creepy Despite Anti-creep Update

Engadget reported that a $2 sticker can obscure the capture LED on Meta's Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses, bypassing the anti-creep feature designed to alert people when they are being recorded. This comes after Meta rolled out an update last month to prevent recording if the LED is tampered with, in response to contractors drilling out the light. Recent YouTube videos suggest some users can still record after drilling out the LED, though Meta has not commented on these potential loopholes.

Meta might be trying to make its smart glasses https://gizmodo.com/we-need-to-talk-about-smart-glasses-2000661487 less creepy, but if recent reports are any indication, it’s still got some work to do. It turns out, as Engadget details https://www.engadget.com/2227710/a-dollar2-sticker-let-me-bypass-the-meta-glasses-anti-creep-feature/ , that the capture LED on the company’s smart glasses—intended to inform people that they’re being recorded—can easily be obscured. In a test with a pair of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses https://gizmodo.com/ray-ban-meta-gen-2-review-still-the-best-non-display-smart-glasses-2000664295 , Engadget found that the indicator light can be blocked, to the point that it’s barely noticeable, with cheap stickers purchased online. To be clear, the use of stickers isn’t a new phenomenon— we’ve reported on it before https://gizmodo.com/60-mod-for-metas-ray-bans-lets-you-be-a-creep-without-getting-punched-in-the-face-2000676201 —but it’s especially unfortunate considering Meta’s recent efforts to bolster the effectiveness of this exact LED. Last month, Meta rolled out an update meant to prevent its smart glasses https://gizmodo.com/destroying-the-privacy-led-on-meta-smart-glasses-will-no-longer-enable-creepiness-2000782720 from recording if the LED is tampered with or destroyed. That update, it’s worth noting, was in response to people doing the latter. NBC’s Joanna Stern reported https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/joanna-stern-meta-ray-ban-glasses-rcna348305 that contractors on Facebook Marketplace, no less were taking payment in exchange for completely drilling the light out, allowing people to record photos and videos LED-free. Whether that update has been effective in preventing tampering remains unclear. Recent videos posted to YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMMFAPlJQnI since the update suggest that some people have still been able to record after drilling out the light, even after installing the mandatory software on their smart glasses, though we haven’t verified these claims ourselves. Some commentators on this YouTube video also say glasses they’ve drilled the light out of no longer work after the recent update. We’ve contacted Meta for comment about these potential loopholes and will update this post with any additional information. But either way, it looks as though there may still be easily accessible and effective ways to obscure Meta’s capture LED, despite the company’s recent efforts to bolster privacy measures. Meta has maintained https://about.fb.com/news/2026/07/metas-ai-glasses-your-questions-answered/ that it’s continuing to make its smart glasses more “trustworthy” and “safer,” but whether it can keep up with people who are determined to use a pair for unsavory purposes is another question entirely. Where there’s a will to be a glasshole, there’s likely a way.