Meta glasses update disables camera if privacy light broken

Meta announced on Wednesday that it will deploy a mandatory software update for its smart glasses that will disable the camera if the device detects the privacy indicator light has been physically tampered with or destroyed. The move is a direct response to growing public backlash and reports of an underground market offering services to disable the LED, which is designed to signal when the camera is recording.

The update introduces a hardware-enforced safety feature intended to act as a backstop against manipulation. Previously, the glasses would block the camera if the light was simply covered with tape, prompting the user to uncover it. However, modders have employed more sophisticated methods, including physically drilling into or destroying the LED to record covertly. The new system is designed to detect such tampering and render the camera inoperable until a functional indicator is restored.

Meta stated the change is being implemented first on its second-generation smart glasses, which include models developed with Ray-Ban and Oakley, as well as its newer, lower-priced in-house line. The company framed the update as an industry-leading step, noting that no other type of...