GoKawiilOn Bluesky, posts regularly suggest that people who wear "pervert glasses" be punched in the face. The criticism of eye-worn gadgets capable of surveillance isn't new, though the online discourse — "Meta Glasses" repeatedly trended on Meta's own Threads app last week, for the wrong reasons — seems to have intensified following the release of Meta's latest cheaper lineup, as well as reports about an unreleased facial recognition feature for the product. For whatever reason, this time the backlash seems to be having a real effect.
Engadget spoke with five creators, photographers and others who were once enthusiastic about Meta's smart glasses about how public perception has changed their habits.
"A lot of men and their behaviors have ruined this product," Danielle, a Florida-based creator and travel host who asked to be identified by first name only, told Engadget. Initially she enjoyed using her smart glasses for capturing travel content from the international trips she hosts. Then she read a story about how contractors working for Meta said they had been tasked with reviewing intimate images and other sensitive details captured by glasses owners.
Further reporting of men using Meta-branded glasses to film videos of themselves harassing women in public sealed the deal. She says she hasn't used them since. "I wouldn't feel comfortable around somebody wearing them, so I wouldn't expect anybody to be comfortable around me wearing them, no matter where I am.
"At this point, they're like a fancy paper weight," she says.
Other creators who have previously purchased the frames now say they are using the product less often due to fears that people around them will assume they're doing something "creepy."
Christian Eisenbarth is a Los Angeles-based videographer who was gifted a pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses by his girlfriend. He says that while he had previously been eyeing a pair for use on his video shoots, he has yet to use them outside of his home "mainly due to being afraid of being labeled as a creep." That fear has so far outweighed his personal enthusiasm for the product. "It's awesome to have a true POV perspective, and you can record without having to mess with a rig on your camera, or something strapped to your chest," he said.
Everyone who spoke with Engadget reported feeling somewhat conflicted about Meta's smart glasses. They all believed they had used the product responsibly and that the product, which starts at $224 for the first-gen model, is well-designed. They also all expressed some level of discomfort with Meta's privacy practices and people who have misused the tech.
Martino Wong is a creator and self-described tech enthusiast who was an early adopter of Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Wong, who says he primarily uses his sunglasses for phone calls and for recording product videos, says the privacy backlash seems to be more prominent in English-speaking spaces on the internet, but that it has still had an effect on him.
"I've been a little bit more mindful of them, especially in more crowded environments," he said. "There have been times in which I basically fold them up and hang them on my shirt, so as to show more clearly that I'm not actively using them."
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