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Comment by nnutter | Hacker News Reader

Which Meta Glasses try to counter by making it obvious when someone is recording with the recording light; arguably more obvious than cell phones.

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> As he films them from multiple angles, the predominantly English-speaking employees ask the presenter questions such as, "What are you doing?" and "Are you filming me right now?"

Meta employees themselves couldn't tell if he was recording!

This is the non-confrontational way to say, "I know you are recording". It allows a quick "Oh, sorry" if the person is willing to turn it off when confronted, without escalating to an actual confrontation.

There's a technology that can hide an LED light, it is called "a small piece of tape."

I don't know how effective it or how it works but Meta says they disable recording if the recording light is blocked.

https://9to5google.com/2026/07/07/meta-ray-ban-smart-glasses...

And someone quickly hacked around it:

https://www.engadget.com/2227710/a-dollar2-sticker-let-me-by...

The idea that Meta gives any serious shits about anyone's privacy or well-being when it's in opposition to their revenue is laughable.

The $17b settlement they just agreed to said as much.

They are designed to be easy to bypass. Plenty of tutorials exist online and I can't imagine that Meta engineers didn't know about it beforehand.

Provide this 'easy' tutorial please.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4352861484/smart-glasses-led...

> Take control of your privacy with this easy-to-use LED and Camera Blocker

That is a camera blocker. your camera will not work with that.

Read the product description:

> Designed for users who value discretion, this accessory covers the video recording LED and optionally blocks the front-facing camera — perfect for content creators, streamers, or anyone in sensitive environments.

There is two parts, one to block the LED, and an option to al part to block the camera.

Ah, well that wont work. If you block the LED, the camera doesnt work.

https://www.engadget.com/2227710/a-dollar2-sticker-let-me-by...

Search for "meta glasses led bypass" on youtube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bAw1ybPuzPk

You have to hold up a cell phone to film people with it. It's a very obvious action. Definitely not intentional in the design but it's an accidental feature.

And the next generation of "smart glasses" made by companies that aren't so reliant on public image will just forgo this entirely voluntary nicety.

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