Meta says it is tightening a visible safeguard against covert filming; critics and regulators counter that an LED fix cannot answer deeper questions over consent, surveillance and who ultimately sees the footage.

The dispute sharpened after users found they could defeat the glasses’ recording indicator simply by starting a video first and then covering the LED. Meta had already disabled recording when the light was blocked before filming began, but the reversed sequence exposed a conspicuous loophole.

Alex Himel, Meta’s executive vice president of wearables, said an incoming update changes that sequence: “the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording.” He argued the light can therefore “reliably alert bystanders” to photos or video being captured, and said the small number of people attempting workarounds showed the safeguards were having an effect.¹

Meta followed the technical change with an awareness campaign. A Los Angeles billboard depicts a glasses wearer drawing attention to the LED, declaring: “The camera lets you capture the moment. The light lets everyone around you know when you do.” The company’s message is that the device was designed for people nearby, not only for its wearer.¹

But the response has not ended the argument. The report notes that modified hardware or less obvious coverings, including semi-transparent stickers, may still evade the new protection. EU data regulators are probing whether Meta adequately tested whether the public understood the indicator’s purpose; Germany is considering a ban following a criminal complaint, while the European Data Protection Board is expected to weigh action later this summer.¹

In the US, a proposed class action takes the criticism further, accusing Meta of selling the glasses as privacy-conscious while failing to disclose that human annotators allegedly review captured footage to train AI. The complaint says such material can include highly personal scenes and sensitive information, and seeks damages as well as changes to Meta’s advertising. For Meta, the update is proof that protections can evolve. For its challengers, it is only a patch on a much broader privacy problem.¹