Meta Bricks AI Glasses With Tampered Privacy Lights

Meta Platforms Incorporated permanently disabled the cameras on thousands of its AI glasses after detecting that users tampered with recording indicator lights to record people surreptitiously. The company deployed a software update to close a loophole that allowed users to bypass detection by covering the LED light after filming had already started.

Meta confirmed the enforcement action affected less than one-tenth of one percent of all devices sold. Users who covered the lights with stickers can restore functionality by removing them, but those who physically drilled out the LED lights have had their camera functions permanently bricked.

The technical crackdown follows public criticism and the labeling of the devices as pervert glasses. In response, Meta launched a public relations campaign, including billboards in Los Angeles, to emphasize the product's privacy design. Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth defended the glasses as the most privacy-forward consumer camera, while Vice President of Wearables Alex Himel noted that only a tiny minority of users were tampering with the hardware.