Meta has previously attempted to allay concerns by pointing out the fact that its glasses light up when recording audio or video. But this week’s bug shows that even with this light on, it’s possible for smart glasses to inadvertently record.
Meta’s brief statement does little to alleviate those concerns. Meanwhile, the error lends some credence to reports and concerns that Ray-Ban Metas are creating recordings without the subjects’ knowledge.
Fears come true
Meta has been steadfast in its fight for devices that place microphones and cameras in people’s homes and faces, while also fighting fears that the devices could be used for non-consensual recordings.
Contractors at Sama, a Kenya-based data annotation company, say they have seen footage filmed by Ray-Ban Metas, apparently unbeknownst to the user or others in the video. A report by Swedish journalists earlier this year interviewed more than 30 Sama workers and noted a “stream of privacy-sensitive data being fed directly into the tech giant’s systems,” according to a machine translation, resulting in workers seeing private activities, such as the glasses owner’s partner emerging from the bathroom naked.
“Meta has that kind of content in its databases. People can record themselves incorrectly and not even know what they are recording,” the report quoted an anonymous Sama employee as saying.
In the US, the report led to a lawsuit seeking class action certification. [PDF] and an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In August, Meta updated its smart glasses so that they don’t record if the glasses’ indicator light is obscured. However, some potential privacy violations when using Ray-Ban Metas depend on a bad human actor. But this most recent bug, as well as reports from Sama workers, highlight the possibility that well-intentioned users may also inadvertently record things.
The privacy shortcomings of Ray-Ban Meta and other smart glasses have raised concerns about the possibility of being surreptitiously recorded in public and about the creation of applications to detect smart glasses. Privacy concerns have also led to proposed legislation, including in Norway, which is considering a temporary ban.
Glasses like Ray-Ban Metas have the potential to intentionally or unintentionally violate people’s privacy, whether due to technical problems, sharing data without the user’s consent, or poor design. Without further limitations, one of the biggest drawbacks of devices like the Ray-Ban Metas will continue to be the fear of non-consensual recordings, a fear that this week’s mistake has become a reality.
