Instagram Removes Meta Smart-Glasses Videos as Privacy Backlash Hits $299 Ray-Bans
Updated
Updated · Fortune · Jul 28
Instagram Removes Meta Smart-Glasses Videos as Privacy Backlash Hits $299 Ray-Bans
2 articles · Updated · Fortune · Jul 28
Summary
Instagram said it is taking down harassment content filmed with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and has already removed creator accounts tied to covert-recording videos.
The crackdown follows prank and pickup-artist clips showing women and strangers recorded in public without consent, fueling the online “pervert glasses” label.
Meta says every pair has a non-disableable white recording LED and now shuts off the camera if that light appears tampered with, but critics say bystanders still often cannot tell when filming is happening.
The dispute lands as Meta expands the line to 26 styles starting at $299 and dominates a fast-growing category: smart-glasses shipments rose 167% year over year to about 2.25 million units in Q1, with Meta holding 69.2% share.
Privacy concerns are widening beyond Meta’s data practices to public use of wearable cameras, prompting event bans and giving rivals like Apple room to pitch smart glasses around on-device AI and no facial recognition.