Meta has already tried to allay concerns by pointing out the fact that his glasses light up when recording audio or video. But this week’s bug shows that even with this light enabled, it’s possible for smart glasses to inadvertently record.
Meta’s brief statement does little to assuage these concerns. Meanwhile, the bug lends credence to reports and concern that Ray-Ban Metas are creating recordings without the subjects’ knowledge.
Fears come to life
Meta has been steadfast in its promotion of gadgets that place microphones and cameras in people’s homes and faces, while combating fears that these devices could be used for non-consensual recording.
Entrepreneurs at Sama, a data annotation company headquartered in Kenya, claim to have viewed footage shot by Ray-Ban Metas, apparently without the knowledge of the user or others in the video. A report by Swedish journalists earlier this year interviewed more than 30 Sama employees and highlighted a “stream of privacy-sensitive data that is fed directly into the tech giant’s systems,” according to machine translation, leading workers to observe private activities, such as a glasses owner’s partner emerging naked from a bathroom.
“Meta has this type of content in its databases. People can register in the wrong way and not even know what they are registering,” an anonymous Sama employee was quoted as saying in the report.
In the United States, the report led to a class-action lawsuit (PDF) and an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In August, Meta updated its smart glasses so that they don’t register if the glasses’ light is obscured. Some potential privacy violations using Ray-Ban Metas, however, depend on a human bad actor. But this most recent issue, along with reports from Sama employees, also highlights the potential for well-intentioned users to inadvertently record data.
The privacy shortcomings of Ray-Ban Meta and other smart glasses have raised concerns about them being surreptitiously recorded in public and the creation of apps to detect smart glasses. Privacy concerns have also led to bills, 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 issues, data sharing without user consent, or poor design. Without additional constraints, one of the biggest drawbacks of devices like the Ray-Ban Metas will remain the fear of non-consensual recording, a fear that this week’s bug will turn into reality.
Gn tech
