Activist group targets Meta’s smart glasses with privacy-focused London campaign
Critics argue that ethical and legal safeguards have not kept pace with the technology’s capabilities, including recent research demonstrating the ability to identify individuals via facial recognition from footage captured by the glasses.
The UK-based activism group Everyone Hates Elon has installed lenticular bus stop advertisements near Meta’s London headquarters to critique the company’s new smart glasses. The campaign, which references the 1988 film They Live, features imagery that flips between Kylie Jenner wearing the devices and a skeletal X-ray with the tagline “We're always watching.” The protest underscores growing public anxiety regarding privacy, consent, and the potential for non-consensual recording, particularly by “Manosphere” content creators.
Meta partnered with Kylie Jenner for the design and marketing of an “entry-level” line of camera glasses late last month, a move that quickly provoked backlash over unresolved concerns about personal safety as surveillance technology evolves. The lenticular design allows the advertisement to transform depending on the viewer’s angle, shifting from a branded marketing photo to a stark X-ray image, a visual nod to the sci-fi film where sunglasses reveal hidden truths about societal control.
The latest generation of the glasses allows for three minutes of consecutive recording, an increase from the previous 30 seconds, which were later extended to one minute. This extended recording capability has left many wary of unknowingly being recorded in public. Meta recently announced a software update that will disable the camera if the built-in LED recording light is obscured or damaged, an effort to assuage concerns about secret recording.
Despite these technical safeguards, critics argue that the technology poses significant ethical and legal risks. Privacy law has not kept pace with the evolution of smart glasses and AI technology that processes biometric data. The chasm between legality and ethics continues to widen, with risks identified at sites of expected privacy such as hospitals, restrooms, fitness spaces, and locker rooms.
In 2024, Harvard researchers successfully ran facial recognition software on footage from Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses to identify passersby’s names, addresses, and personal information from public databases. EHE spokespersons stated: “Billionaires could fund cures for cancer — so why are they funding glasses for perverts instead?” and described the technology as abuse, highlighting the potential for the devices to be used for non-consensual recording by content creators who post point-of-view recordings of cold approaching women in public.
