Modders are turning Meta Ray-Bans into spy glasses its not cool, its creepy, and I hate it

Date:
Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:40:25 +0000

Description:
I love my Ray-Ban smart glasses, but creeps are disabling a major safety feature, and now Im worried theyll get banned.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Modders are charging as little as $50 in the US to alter Ray-Ban Meta specs The altered smart glasses are then able to record without the safety light This allows bad actors to film secretly and potentially harass people $50 or some technical know-how thats all its taking some to mod their Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to disable one of its most important safety features: the camera light.

The first-person video perspective is incredible for snapping first-person shots while on vacation or just living your day to day, but bad actors have been using smart glasses in more nefarious ways often to harass women as the BBC reported earlier this year, with that likely to spike again as we enter beach season in the Northern hemisphere. To help prevent secret recording,
the Meta glasses switch on a light that plays the entire time. It sits on the left side of the glasses, creating design symmetry with the camera on the right, and if its ever covered (say, by some tape), the glasses will prevent you from recording. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

However, as reported by Joanna Stern in a YouTube video , modders can permanently disable this light in a way that doesnt prevent recording. You just need the technical know-how and some tools, or $50 to $100 to pay
someone on places like Facebook Marketplace, adding an unfortunate ironic layer that its happening through Metas own platform. How People Secretly Record You With Meta Glasses - YouTube Watch On This kind of hack isnt illegal, but it is against Metas terms of service. Recording with these now secret spy glasses isnt necessarily illegal either. It depends on the
region's laws surrounding things like recording in public and if you need
one- or two-party consent. You may like I love my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses but this summer Im giving up on them Apples rumored Meta Ray-Bans rivals
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glasses style in its Ray-Ban smart specs

Ive reached out to Meta for comment, though, given that it has previously implemented guardrails to prevent recording if the light is obscured, I
expect it isnt happy about this more in-depth modification. Please don't ruin the tech I love I love my smart glasses (Image credit: Future) My
relationship with smart glasses has been a little up and down recently, but overall, Im still a major advocate for them. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Just like smartwatches before them, smart specs offer truly useful features
in ways that are more convenient than our existing tech Ive used my own RayBans when I travel to great effect (translating signs, identifying historical sites and monuments, and recording memories without being taken
out of the moment), and the techs only getting better.

These kinds of modifications risk ruining everyones fun. Because if people keep abusing this tech, I can see governments taking a heavy hand with restrictions either outlawing cameras in specs, or simply banning smart glasses altogether if things get too out of hand.

That would suck.

So I'm hoping there are some fixes Meta can implement, and that other manufacturers follow suit. Perhaps they could also work with governments to introduce precise rule changes, such as making it illegal to record covertly or changing harassment rules so that bad actors are punished.

Because smart glasses are so incredibly cool, and while I have tried a lot of awesome tech over the years, smart specs have always seemed in a league of their own (in a great way). Its a wearables category that I hope keeps thriving we just need to make sure it grows the right way so that this dream tech doesnt become a nightmare for many. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Today's best Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2) deals 379 324.99 View Deal 330.96 View Deal deal 379 View Deal Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/modders- are-turning-meta-ray-bans-into-spy-glasses-its-not-cool-its-creepy-and-i-hate- it


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