Meta has started removing videos from Instagram that were filmed secretly using its own smart glasses. The company is banning accounts that post content where people are recorded without knowing it.
According to the report by Business Insider, the decision comes after many reports of men using the glasses to film women in public spaces without their permission. Some creators have also been filming service workers as part of so-called pranks that often feel more like harassment.
As a result, the glasses have gained some bad nicknames because of how some people use them. This has become a problem for Meta’s brand image.
Several accounts that made a habit of recording women without consent have already been shut down. Meta confirmed these bans were linked to harassment content filmed with the company’s glasses. However, the total number of removed videos has not been shared.
Meta also made a technical change to address the issue. The glasses now have software that turns off the camera if someone tries to block the recording light. People had been covering this light with tape or other materials to film without others noticing.
Some users had even been paying others to modify the glasses so they could record secretly. The new software update is meant to stop that practice. However, it is still too early to tell if it is working.
While Meta helped create this problem by selling the smart glasses, it is good to see the company finally taking steps to fix it.