Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Are Now Called “Pervert Glasses”. Why? 

What if the person looking at you is also recording you? Meta’s Ray-Ban smartglasses are being praised as a breakthrough for accessibility, particularly for blind users. However, a growing backlash is raising uncomfortable questions about privacy, consent and the possibility of being recorded without knowing it. 

The glasses, developed by Meta in partnership with Ray-Ban, look much like ordinary eyewear but come equipped with cameras, microphones, speakers and an artificial intelligence assistant. Users can take photos and videos, listen to music, make calls and ask the glasses questions without reaching for a phone. 

More than seven million pairs of Meta’s glasses were sold last year, which made it the world’s most popular smart-glasses products. 

But as the technology becomes more common, so too are concerns about what happens when the camera is barely noticeable. 

Some users have reportedly been using the glasses to secretly record strangers and post the footage online. According to the Los Angeles Times, people have used the glasses to secretly film interactions in public, including pickup attempts at women which were later posted online without consent, which has earned the glasses the nickname ‘pervert glasses’. One woman filmed outside an Arizona club called the practice exploitative. She told the news outlet, “It’s really weird to monetise off of people, and they’re not even aware that they’re being recorded.”

There have also been reports of users disabling the glasses’ recording indicator light entirely. 

Meta has pushed back, saying privacy safeguards are built into the product, and updated the glasses last month so tampering disables the camera.