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Comment by bennyelv | Hacker News Reader

This is a strange take…

1. You’ve inferred that the reason the glasses exist is to enable people to harass other people. That’s a very odd conclusion. 2. Where’s the without them knowing? Meta literally designed the hardware so that you do know that you’re being filmed, unlike almost every other camera on the market. 3. You haven’t managed to separate the decisions and accountability of an individual from the tool that they use to execute those decisions. This is a strange way to look at the world. It places inherent moral values into inanimate objects.

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1. Whether what he did is considered "harassment" is debatable. 2. Because it looks like an everyday object and not a camera? If you design a necklace or hat that films people but displays a small light (which can easily be covered up), the vast majority of people will not know they are being filmed. 3. He went up to people in public and asked them questions. Filming their bodies and asking them to turn around was weird and inappropriate but demonstrates the point he is trying to make, which is that this is inherently a bad product that films people with a camera but it doesn't look like a camera, which people naturally find deceptive and creepy, and they don't want to be around it.

There are other plausible explanations to do with interacting with strangers generally. I don’t think he really made a point at all.

it's the opposite actually.

If someone holds their camera or a phone facing you directly you can guess they are filming you.

Normally looking glasses with a hidden camera is a Spywear from spy novels. The diode doesn't change much

Right but if they stand near you and film you with a phone without directly interacting with you, it’s extremely difficult to notice that you’re being filmed.

If someone stands in front of you and interacts with you, firstly the camera in these glasses is not hidden and the glasses themselves are quite distinctive, and secondly, a light comes on exactly where you would be looking as you interact - next to their eyes.

On those two points, I’d argue that they’re exactly the same as phones or other cameras when it comes to being able to secretly record.

They’re nothing like glasses from spy novels, they’re extremely noticeable.

https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/elementpath/media/?media_id=2484...

I would not call that "extremely noticeable". Perhaps it is extremely noticeable if you are familiar that a company makes normal looking glasses with cameras built in. But if you aren't, you might just assume that is some stylistic part of the glasses and not a tiny lens.

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