Meta responds to claims its smart glasses were capturing conversations without asking
Hey Meta, stop recording.
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- A Reddit user says Ray-Ban Meta glasses recorded conversations without a voice prompt.
- Other users reported similar automatic recording during conversations, calls, and phone dictation.
- Meta says the issue has been resolved but did not explain what caused the recordings.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
A Meta smart glasses owner claims the device was recording their conversations without permission.
“Warning: My Ray-Ban Meta glasses are recording conversations without ‘Hey Meta,’” shared one Redditor, saying they noticed this on 3 different pairs of Meta smart glasses.
The Redditor said the device would pick up conversations when the owner spoke to someone, even though it wasn't enabled to record them.
The Redditor found these conversations saved in the Meta AI app and available as audio recordings and text transcripts.
The customer said they had the “Respond without Hey Meta” feature turned off and were sure they hadn’t activated it during the conversations.
They also noticed that once they started talking, the white notification light activated, something that had started to occur after a firmware update.
Not an isolated incident
At first, the smart glasses owner thought the issue might be related to one particular pair. However, after testing 2 other devices from different generations, they learned that the same thing happened to them as well.
The situation led the original poster to contact Meta support, which told the user to disable microphone and camera permissions, turn off Wear Detection, delete voice history, and disable automatic updates.
“Am I supposed to disable the core functionality of an expensive AI product just to prevent my private conversations from unexpectedly appearing in my recording history?” the user pondered.
WARNING: My Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Are Recording Conversations Without “Hey Meta” — Happening on 3 Pairs!
by u/Kindly-Audience-137 in MetaGlasses
The person shared their story on a few different subreddits to see if anyone else had the same issue.
The post revealed that, while not all users did, some also noticed the same happening to their devices.
“Mine did this, too. I ended up disabling the voice activation,” shared one user.
“Yup, I’ve been experiencing the same exact thing that you mentioned. My glasses trigger automatically when I’m having a conversation with others, or even taking phone calls, or just dictating to my phone,” wrote another Redditor.
According to the person, the reason for it could be that the company is “self-triggering an accident tally on a random timer to capture audio recorded and send it back to Meta AI.”
Meta’s response
The Redditor said in the post that they were speaking with the lawyer about the possibility of filing a class action lawsuit if it turns out to be “a broader privacy issue” affecting other customers.
Meta responded by stating that “the issue has been resolved,” according to Android Authority. The company shared that users can “manage, review, and delete voice logs of their interaction with Meta AI via settings at any time.”
Meta didn’t elaborate on what happened with certain devices that started recording conversations without being prompted.
Use Meta smart glasses at your own risk
While the author of the post was looking for more users who might have been affected by this issue, the situation prompted a discussion about the ongoing backlash against Meta's smart glasses.
“Whoa, a company that makes money by invading your privacy is invading your privacy! Can’t trust anyone these days,” wrote one user.
“It’s called mass surveillance,” added another.
“I wish I had never bought these. I can’t wear them in public anymore, despite them being my primary prescription, can’t wear them in the office due to cybersecurity concerns, can’t wear them around the house because they’re spying on me,” shared another user.
Meta smart glasses have been under scrutiny for being used to film without one’s consent and to harass.
The situation escalated to the point where some device owners began debating whether it was worth continuing to wear them, as they feared being mistaken for owners of “pervert glasses.”
Because of this, some countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, have begun taking measures regarding smart glasses.
In the Netherlands, the eyewear retailer Hans Anders has suspended sales of the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses due to privacy concerns.
Meta Platforms has recently been accused of using shady marketing tactics to promote and sell its smart glasses.
A lawsuit alleges that Meta sent emails with misleading subject lines suggesting soon-to-expire discounts on its smart glasses. However, these deals would remain valid for another 2 weeks.
