Overview
- Meta confirmed Tuesday that it has permanently disabled photo and video functions on thousands of its smart glasses after detecting users had drilled out or otherwise tampered with the capture LED.
- A recent firmware update closes a loophole that previously allowed people to start recording and then cover the LED mid‑capture by making the camera stop if the light is blocked at any point during recording.
- Plaintiffs in an amended class‑action complaint have added broad bystander claims alleging Meta misrepresented privacy protections and that some glasses footage was reviewed by human contractors and used to train AI models.
- Meta has also been removing content, suspending accounts tied to misuse, running public education ads and billboards about the capture LED, and facing venue and courtroom bans that restrict camera‑equipped eyewear.
- Meta says tampering affects less than one tenth of one percent of devices sold, which given roughly 7 million pairs sold in 2025 implies the number of tampered glasses is in the low thousands and raises wider policy questions about consent, accessibility, and regulation for wearable cameras.