Meta acts on 'pervert glasses' videos but leaves hardware flaw intact
Instagram is deleting harassing videos filmed on Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, but a software policy cannot fix the hardware vulnerabilities that enable secret recording in the first place.
Instagram will remove videos shot on Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses that harass or exploit unsuspecting strangers. The policy, announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri, targets the wave of "pickup artist" and prank content that has earned the wearable device the nickname "pervert glasses."
“If you’re posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them, like a lot of these pickup line kind of videos, then we’re going to take the content down,” Mosseri said. He added that the platform does not want people “surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform.”
Meta has already deactivated at least two pickup-artist accounts that had more than a million followers each. However, the company refused to detail how it will enforce the rule, what exactly constitutes a violation, or how many accounts have been penalised.
The ban addresses the symptoms rather than the underlying hardware design. The glasses use a small LED to indicate recording, but it is easily overlooked in daylight or physically bypassed with tape. Meta introduced an update to disable the camera if the light is obscured, yet a secondary market of "jailbroken" specs has already emerged to bypass safeguards.
For the European market, this hardware loophole presents a distinct regulatory and commercial risk. Secretly recording individuals in public spaces without consent runs directly afoul of strict EU privacy laws under the GDPR. A policy that merely scrubs uploaded content from Instagram does nothing to protect the privacy of the person being filmed, nor does it stop the footage from being shared elsewhere.
The public backlash against covert recording is already having tangible consequences. Users have faced criminal charges, athletes have been disqualified from races, and New York has barred the devices from its courtrooms. Competitors are taking note; Apple is reportedly developing its own smart glasses featuring a brighter, more visible recording ring around the lens.
Meta’s response has drawn criticism for being fundamentally reactive. As journalist Dave Lee noted: “Tech CEO pledges to catch bolted horse.” This skepticism is likely to grow, as reports suggest Meta is already exploring glasses capable of continuous, always-on recording.
