German report says Meta Glasses recording light is not easily visible

A firmware update for Meta Glasses fixes an exploit that allowed users to cover the recording light after filming had started. The glasses now recheck the light every few seconds, preventing that method from continuing a recording with the light hidden.

However, a report by the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information says the update does not resolve wider privacy concerns. After examining Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the Commissioner found that the LED is “not easily visible in many environments, particularly outdoors and in direct sunlight”. The report also says the beam angle is narrow, so people need to be close and looking almost directly at the wearer to see whether it is lit.

The report notes that the first-generation glasses make the LED glow “very dimly” when the wearer asks about a nearby person or object, while the second-generation glasses do not make it glow at all. It says informed consent cannot generally be assumed when filming people outside a close circle, and recommends text notifications, signage, or directly speaking to those being filmed.

A recent report from the French e-Enfance association likewise said that seeing the light does not necessarily mean someone understood it or consented to the storage, processing, and distribution of their image. For minors, it said, parents must provide permission. French law can impose prison sentences and five-figure fines for deliberate invasions of private life.