Meta has announced an update to its smart glasses that will automatically disable the built-in camera if the device detects that its privacy LED light has been tampered with or destroyed. The move responds to a wave of public backlash and to modders who have circumvented the indicator, in some cases by physically drilling into the light, and it matters because the LED is the primary signal warning bystanders that they may be recorded.

The company had previously tried softer deterrents: from the second generation of glasses onwards, covering the light with tape triggers a prompt telling users to uncover it, though modders found workarounds. Meta's VP of wearables, Alex Himel, said the update was on the way and acknowledged rising misuse as adoption grows, following the launch of cheaper, non-Ray-Ban-branded glasses. The change lands amid wider concern over reported plans to add facial recognition and reports of women being harassed, with New York State set to ban camera glasses from all courtrooms later this month, echoing moves by Philadelphia courts and some cruise lines.