Instagram is taking a stand against the proliferation of harassing videos created with Meta's smart glasses, often dubbed 'pervert glasses.' Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri stated that content exploiting and harassing people will be removed from the platform.
"We don’t want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform," Mosseri said in a recent Instagram story. "So we’re trying to fight that every way we can."
Meta, owned by Mark Zuckerberg, released its smart glasses last fall. The devices can record video, and their use for surreptitiously filming individuals has drawn swift criticism, with some describing the technology as "dystopian."
Users have reportedly modified or obscured the recording indicator light on the glasses to film people without their knowledge. Content created with these glasses has included pickup artist attempts and pranks on service workers, often posted to platforms like TikTok and Instagram without the subject's consent. These videos frequently follow a pattern of unsolicited compliments or requests for contact information, with the footage then shared widely.
Instances cited include a man filming a woman in a London shopping center without her consent, with the video gaining 40,000 views. The man reportedly offered to remove the video only as a paid service. In response to such content, Instagram has deactivated at least two accounts with over a million followers each that produced pickup artist-style content using the glasses.
The Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) glasses, starting at $379, have also been used to film pranks on unsuspecting individuals, such as those working in retail or fast food. One reported prank involved spraying a substance into a candle at Walmart and then asking employees to smell it. Another involved pretending to have limited English proficiency to provoke workers into asking them to leave or calling the police.
Beyond the current misuse, civil liberties and advocacy groups have raised concerns about Meta's future plans for the glasses. More than 70 organizations have criticized the potential for increased surveillance and data collection, especially with planned AI enhancements like language translation and facial recognition. A patent filed by Meta for an AI-powered apparatus capable of tracking a user's emotional state has further fueled these concerns. Online safety advocate Josh Golin of Fairplay expressed worries that such technologies could be used to monitor users' lives for targeted advertising based on emotional vulnerabilities.
Some individuals have begun to confront users filming them without consent. In one instance, a bystander in San Diego intervened when he observed someone secretly filming women on the street with the smart glasses, attempting to confiscate the device and confronting the user.