Meta tests always-recording smart glasses as New York bans the devices from all courtrooms

The always-on prototype

Meta is building prototype smart glasses that would record audio continuously and snap photos every few seconds, according to the Financial Times. The system is designed to act as a digital memory, letting wearers ask Meta AI where they left their keys or recall what was said in a meeting. In one proposed version, raw footage would not be stored or shown to the user; only metadata would be extracted and sent to Meta's servers for the AI to query, which supporters argue limits privacy risks. However, the company is also debating whether to use the data to train its AI models and whether to bring the feature to glasses already on the market.

While we don't comment on internal prototypes, we're committed to getting our glasses right because they need to be loved by both people wearing them and those around them.

Privacy concerns and the LED indicator

Current Meta smart glasses light up a white LED whenever the camera is active, but that safeguard has been widely undermined. Modders offered paid services to remove or disable the LED, while some users simply taped over it. Reports of men using the glasses to film women without consent have sharpened public criticism, and the devices have been dubbed "pervert glasses." The super-sensing prototypes, however, reportedly would not activate the LED during continuous capture. A July 2025 whitepaper suggested keeping the indicator for "active capture" moments only, such as taking a photo or video, and leaving it off during AI features.

Meta's crackdown on tampering

This week Meta rolled out a mandatory software update that disables the camera if the system detects the LED has been physically tampered with or destroyed. The company will also pull ads for tampering services, ban the accounts behind them, and pursue legal action. VP of wearables Alex Himel called the move an industry first. "No other kind of camera has done this," a Meta FAQ states.

Court ban in New York

Amid the backlash, New York will ban smart glasses from all 1,240 of its courtrooms starting July 20, the most sweeping restriction yet. The rule covers any glasses or headwear capable of recording audio or video; visitors will have to surrender them to court officers, and staff and attorneys are not exempt. Courts in Philadelphia, Hawaii and Wisconsin already enforce similar limits, and some cruise lines prohibit the devices in public spaces.