this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2026
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Lawmakers are once again turning up the legal heat on smart glasses. Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-Montgomery) has introduced a bill that would require every pair of smart glasses “manufactured, sold, and used” in the state to have a “visual indicator” that tells others when they’re recording.

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[–] renrenPDX@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago

It would be neat if someone designed Anti-Meta Glasses. Instead of a camera, it emits a scattered 180 degree IR mesh to make whatever Meta wearing persons video completely useless.

[–] sidebro@lemmy.zip 71 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Again, if they are "smart", they can be hacked. That light can be disabled, and even covered.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

there's a booming industry already growing to mod them so no indicator shows. https://leafandcore.com/2025/10/25/meta-glasses-creep-mod-gaining-attention/

thousands.

fucking creeeps

[–] homes@piefed.world 18 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (14 children)

Not if the power to the recording mechanism must run through the light. There is an electrically engineered way to make sure the light must be powered on before the recording mechanism if it is wired between the power supply and the electronics.

Nothing to hack. Just a wire/circuit and an LED.

That’s how the iSight camera in all MacBooks work. That camera cannot be powered on without first powering on the notification LED. It’s integrated into the circuit. Powering on the camera must first power on the LED, and there is no way around that. It’s physically impossible.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 25 points 3 days ago (4 children)

and there is no way around that. It’s physically impossible.

[–] homes@piefed.world 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

As fun as both of those things can be, both together or separately, I wasn’t talking about blocking the camera, but, rather, accessing it illicitly

Thanks for the 90s flashback, though ;)

[–] apotheotic@beehaw.org 7 points 2 days ago

They mean you can block the recording light

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

You block the LED. Sharpie also works.

Black nail polish is still a thing in 2026.

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[–] zwerg@feddit.org 21 points 3 days ago (6 children)

You can still cover the LED. I don't trust these things or the creeps that buy them. They should be illegal.

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[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Although black nail polish does still exist.

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[–] Pieisawesome@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Just cut the wire and run a new one past the light directly to the camera.

The user owns this device and can make physical alterations.

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[–] meowcar42O@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

the thing with the macbook is, that the user does not want to be recorded secretly. with meta glasses, the wearer is the recorder.

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[–] deltapi@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

And existing recording devices with recording indicators can be modified too...this isn't about covering every single edge case, this is about covering the bulk and making the rest actionable.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I disagree, these devices represent a new problem that go pros and other existing devices (phones) don't - they're pseudo-anonymous if you don't know what to look for specifically on the eyewear, and are modded by creeps to prevent even that indicator - https://leafandcore.com/2025/10/25/meta-glasses-creep-mod-gaining-attention/

these assholes want to creep film everywhere and say "oh no they're just sunglasses" or "oh no it's not recording now" then upskirting and downshirting innocent bystanders.

fucking gross, and not the same as other existing devices where you'd have to hold it somewhere to get the shot.

"oh but what about button spy cameras and-"

fuck that shit, it was old school shitty lenses and terrible sensors, not high resolution eye-spy-specs from a company already proven multiple times to be happy to invade people's privacy.

[–] deltapi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You don't think that this is about making it actionable...or? Not sure what part of what I wrote you're disagreeing with.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And existing recording devices with recording indicators can be modified too…this isn’t about covering every single edge case, this is about covering the bulk and making the rest actionable.

so fucking what? just because older devices can be used by the creeps, why create new, more capable creeping devices for the creeps?

[–] deltapi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You think I'm advocating for more creeper devices with that statement?

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I keep seeing 'but what about X' in these comments and refuse to equivocate these devices. Clarify your statement if you mean otherwise.

[–] deltapi@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not my job to police your assumptions.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 0 points 23 hours ago

yeah why would anything you write make sense? fucking hell, you probably are a creep

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 days ago

So make that illegal. It's a start.

[–] __Lost__@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Sure it can. Murder is illegal, but i can still buy a gun and shoot someone. If you hack your glasses to not comply with this law, you will get whatever punishment the law prescribes.

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[–] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

The "visual indicator" will tell you when the human wearing them has actively pressed "record".

If Meta wants to "accidentally capture ambient video data" there will be no indication.

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That's usually not how these indicators work (but yes, this would have to be made explicit in the law). Usually the way they are wired the camera can only turn on when the light is also on.

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The light will be under the aluminum or electrical tape.

[–] Cort@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

The light is totally visible, you just have to peel off your cornea so you can see in ultraviolet like Monet.

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago

They can cover the LED with tape.

[–] TwodogsFighting@lemdro.id 4 points 2 days ago

Have the perv light on all the time it's recording. Done.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 28 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Don't care: light or not, I don't want somebody pointing a camera at me at all times in a civilized society. If anything, this legislation could normalize creeps with cameras that are constantly pointed at you.

We haven't even gotten to phase two of enshittification, and these things still haven't exhibited value.

[–] N0t_5ure@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, we're all getting used to having cameras pointed at us at all times. Ring cameras, flock cameras, tesla cameras, etc., etc. We already live in the Panopticon. There is no opt-out, and government personnel can access many if not all of these sources, and target specific people for chronic surveillance. Things will only get worse, unfortunately.

[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 4 points 3 days ago

all the more reason to aggressively fight back against it wherever we can

[–] mcavoya@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago

Pops cap off black marker

[–] switcheroo@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The fucking DANGER these glasses represent is so disgusting. So many women are going to end up recorded without their permission, stalked, and harassed. That thing about being able to find the name of the person you're looking at? Yeah just because they say they're not going to let that happen means they've already put the tech in place. Why stop at showing just the name? Social media will be just a click away. No doubt in my mind some nasty chud will hack the glasses with AI to unclothe everyone he's looking at.

Dystopian af

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[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That's not good enough. You can easily get around such things.

[–] pulsey@feddit.org 5 points 3 days ago

it should make a tone every x seconds, like a click when taking a photo (which is required by law in some countries)

[–] meowcar42O@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 days ago

The problem I see with this is that this bill pretty much requires proprietary software to run on those glasses (which right now is the case anyways), which in turn means everything else gets shittier. Making laws like this is stupid, they should make a law that bans those glasses if people do not want to be secretly recorded.

[–] bigbangdangler@reddthat.com 4 points 3 days ago

Back in the day there were various bits of legislation to make apparent that then-novel camera phones were taking pictures. I remember phones with shutter sounds that could not be disabled by design.

Of course, they could be disabled by methods not in the design.

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