Meta is finally cracking down on prank creators who secretly film strangers with its smart glasses
What started as futuristic wearable tech quickly became a favourite tool for pranksters and people filming strangers without their knowledge.
Now, Instagram is finally stepping in.
Meta is cracking down on videos recorded with its smart glasses that harass or exploit people in public. Following growing criticism over creators secretly filming unsuspecting strangers for prank and pickup videos.
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri confirmed the platform will now remove videos that cross the line into harassment.
“If you’re posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them. Like a lot of these pickup line kind of videos that we’ve heard of and seen, then we’re going to take the content down.” Mosseri said in an Instagram Story. “We don’t want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform.”
The move comes after reports that Meta has already begun banning Instagram accounts that repeatedly used Meta Glasses to secretly record people without their consent.
Many of the videos in question feature creators harassing service workers or approaching women in public while filming through the glasses.,
According to Business Insider, Meta has permanently removed several high-profile accounts that regularly posted this kind of content. Confirming the bans were specifically related to harassment filmed using its smart glasses.
Meta has also introduced technical safeguards to make covert recording more difficult. A recent software update disables the glasses’ camera if users tamper with the LED recording indicator.
A light some owners have reportedly covered with tape, film or even modified to make it less visible.
That hasn’t stopped people from attempting to bypass the restrictions. With online communities already offering ways to “jailbreak” the devices so they can record without the recording light activating.
The changes won’t solve every privacy concern surrounding smart glasses, but Meta is drawing a line.
If your content depends on secretly filming and humiliating strangers, don’t expect Instagram to keep it online.
