Instagram is tightening its policies against secretly recorded videos using the Meta smart glasses. This decision comes after increasing criticism over strangers being recorded in public without their knowledge. As privacy concerns regarding ‘smart glasses’ become more prevalent, the platform will now remove content that uses wearable cameras to harass people, especially prank and pickup videos.
The shift comes after a surge of videos showing creators allegedly approaching strangers, service workers, and women in public and secretly recording them with Meta's smart glasses. These clips were then posted on Instagram as ‘funny’ content, which led to much discussion about consent and privacy.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri announced the policy change on his Instagram Stories during a Q&A session.
“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.
He added, “We don’t want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform. So we’re trying to fight that every way we can.”
Instagram has already deleted two popular accounts that frequently posted pickup videos taken with Meta smart glasses, according to the Business Insider report. A Meta spokesperson confirmed to the publication that both accounts broke Instagram's rules on harassment content.
Meta has also made an update to its smart glasses software, adding extra security measures for privacy. The company had already acknowledged the recording indicator light on older models could be covered or altered, making it difficult for people to know whether they were being recorded.
Following the latest software update, the camera will automatically turn off when it detects that the recording indicator light is blocked or tampered with.
Also Read: Meta Tests Super Sensing AI Glasses with New Privacy Concerns Rising
Despite the safeguards, doubts remain about the effectiveness of the recording indicator. The LED light is relatively small and could be missed in large open spaces or under bright outdoor lights, resulting in people being unaware of being filmed.
As of now, Meta has not revealed how it will determine if uploaded videos violate the new policy on the platform. The company has not disclosed how many videos have been removed or deleted since the new policy came into effect, nor has it explained how the new policies will be applied in practice.