Meta Smart Glasses Owners Too Scared to Wear Them in Public

Last week, Meta announced it will disable the camera on its smart glasses if it detects a user concealing the LED recording light — in what was a clear response to criticism of the wearable tech.

Dubbed online as “pervert glasses,” Meta’s partnership with Ray-Bans has been a successful one for Mark Zuckerberg’s company — selling more than seven million pairs last year. But some users, mainly men, engaging in predatory behavior, like recording people without consent and posting the footage online, have prompted a backlash against the smart spectacles.

The anger is having a real-world knock-on effect. Engadget recently spoke to a number of photographers, videographers, and content creators who have all expressed doubts about wearing the smart glasses outside of the house.

“I’ve been a little bit more mindful of them, especially in more crowded environments,” says creator Martino Wong. “There have been times in which I basically fold them up and hang them on my shirt, so as to show more clearly that I’m not actively using them.”

Wong notes that the backlash to the glasses is more prominent on the English-speaking parts of the internet than elsewhere. The same can be said about the outcry over generative AI technology.

“I saw all these comments about if you wear those glasses you’re basically a predator or a creep, and I was like, ‘oh, maybe it’s not a good idea to have those,'” freelance video producer Will Kujaa says about a post he put up online announcing he was thinking about buying a pair of Meta glasses with prescription lenses.

“I didn’t really think that through all the way… There are a lot of times where it’s not appropriate to wear cameras on your face. And even though I would have no intention of do[ing] anything creepy with them, it didn’t even occur to me [that] other people just assume that automatically.”

Last month, Meta announced a new line of AI smart glasses that are not designed by Ray-Ban. Instead, they were designed in-house and are being retailed at the lower price of $299. More glasses are likely to follow this year.

Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.

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