Meta just kicked off a new marketing campaign and software update in an attempt to repair the reputation of its AI glasses, which have come under fire for privacy concerns.
The Menlo Park, California-based company’s vice president of augmented reality, Alex Himel, announced on Threads that a forthcoming software update will “increase the reliability” of white LED lights on Meta Glasses. Currently, he wrote, “the camera won’t start recording if the LED is blocked, but some people try to bypass this by starting a recording and then covering it up.”
The latest fix will prevent the camera from working at all when the light is covered, according to Himel. The update is already available for some users.
“We’re going to keep rolling out updates like this to make sure the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured for someone’s gallery,” he wrote in another Threads post. “Only a tiny minority of people try to get around these protections, and the fact they have to go to these lengths shows our efforts are working.”
Meta has been beefing up the privacy features of its glasses since it faced backlash as the company released a new US$299 (RM1,209) version in June. The Internet’s main concern seemed to be that wearers could use the glasses to record and harass people without their knowledge. Some even dubbed them “pervert glasses.”
At the same time, Meta is attempting to reframe the conversation. Its latest marketing campaign touts the product as “designed to be noticed.” One such ad recently posted on the Meta Glasses Instagram page says the LED light “signals when the glasses are capturing photos and videos,” meaning “no light, no capture.”
While the post has plenty of positive comments, this messaging has yet to sway some. “Privacy is a joke after this invention,” one person wrote, while another commented, “Nice try… what a spin.”
Meta spokesperson Albert Aydin told The Verge the company is focusing its efforts on communities “where glasses sales have been popular.” One billboard with the text, “The camera lets you capture the moment. The light lets everyone around you know when you do,” is currently up in Los Angeles, the outlet reports. – Inc./Tribune News Service
