Mark Zuckerberg faces ‘pervert’ reckoning with AI smart glasses

They’ve been dubbed ‘pervert glasses’. Mark Zuckerberg would prefer you call them Ray-Ban Meta glasses, or AI glasses, but they’re increasingly being associated with concerns over unconsented filming. This week, a video went viral on TikTok of a woman calling out a doctor for wearing the smart glasses during a consultation where the patient was required to remove clothing. Despite the doctor claiming the camera-equipped glasses were not recording, she questioned why he needed them at all. ‘They need to be banned from work environments, particularly medical ones,’ she said. Kylie Jenner recently affiliated herself with the gadget with her new design for the Meta glasses. Her words join countless social media posts calling for the glasses to be banned. In some places, they already are: courts in England and Wales prohibited their use in judicial buildings, and similar bans have been introduced in restaurants, theatres, and pubs, including over 800 Wetherspoons establishments in the UK. After the failure of Google Glass 12 years ago, smart glasses are experiencing a resurgence, largely due to Meta’s glasses. Seven million pairs were sold last year, with Apple and Google expected to announce their own smart eyewear soon. Meta’s glasses integrate seamlessly with Ray-Ban, offering useful features like live speech and text translation, voice directions, and hands-free phone calls. However, critics argue their non-pervert use cases are trivial, and the technology raises significant privacy concerns. Meta addresses these by stating the glasses have an LED light that activates when recording and tamper detection technology. Concerns persist about hidden facial recognition and potential misuse, including covert filming of strangers, often linked to harassment. A University of Sydney study found over half of covert POV videos on Instagram show potential harassment, with women filmed without consent. Platforms like Instagram are cracking down on such content, but critics argue stronger safeguards and design changes are needed. Some users are avoiding wearing the glasses due to backlash. Meta must reassure users that these devices do not pose a threat to privacy.