Meta smartglasses spark backlash over surveillance and non-consensual filming
Influencers promoting Meta's recording glasses face public criticism and follower loss over privacy concerns and misuse by pickup artists.
Conversation activity · last 5 days peak 3/hr
Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 9 items across 5 sources · 8h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
Meta's smartglasses, marketed as a consumer device, have earned the nickname "pervert glasses" due to widespread concerns that they enable non-consensual filming of women and others. Content creators who have promoted the glasses—including those in campaigns with celebrities like Kylie Jenner—have faced significant backlash, with some losing followers and being forced to apologize. Self-described pickup artists have reportedly used the glasses to film women without consent, fueling public hostility toward the device despite legitimate creative uses.
- Meta's smartglasses have become colloquially known as "pervert glasses" due to widespread concerns about non-consensual filming, particularly of women.
- Influencers promoting the device face significant social backlash, including follower loss and public criticism, even when their own use is innocuous.
- Self-described pickup artists have exploited the glasses to film and harass women in public, amplifying privacy and safety concerns.
- Some content creators have apologized for participating in Meta's promotional campaigns, acknowledging the reputational risk and ethical issues surrounding the product.
How it unfolded
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Event Kylie Jenner Meta glasses collaboration launches
Kylie Jenner partners with Meta to launch a branded pair of smartglasses, spurring a wave of influencer promotion.
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Reaction Pickup artists exploit glasses for non-consensual filming
Self-described pickup artists use the glasses to film women in public without consent, sometimes posting disparaging and misogynistic commentary alongside the footage.
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Reaction Content creators apologize for promotion
Some influencers, including Rida Tharana (1.6M Instagram followers), publicly apologize for participating in Meta promotion campaigns, citing misuse of the glasses to harass women.
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Event Oliver Hooson posts coffee-making video with Meta glasses
Content creator Oliver Hooson films himself making a flat white during the Tour de France finale using Meta's smartglasses and shares it on social media.
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Reaction Hooson faces immediate negative comments
His post receives comments calling him a "PERV" and criticizing him for "pushing creep glasses," prompting him to lose 50-100 followers.
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Report The Guardian publishes influencer backlash coverage
The Guardian reports on widespread negativity toward Meta glasses among content creators and the public, citing surveillance concerns and non-consensual filming.
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Analysis "Pervert glasses" term frames privacy debate
Public discourse labels the glasses "pervert glasses" as a defense mechanism; Hooson describes it as a way to limit sales and usage by raising awareness of privacy risks.
What people are saying verbatim
“Instagram has cracked down on the pervert glasses, while Meta is trying to make them mainstream.”
judithflanders.co.uk, Bluesky commenter · Bluesky · Aug 6
“It definitely caught me off guard. It was a real ignorant move.”
Oliver Hooson, Content creator · The Guardian · Aug 8
“If everybody gets round that they are pervert glasses, which evidently they have, then it's a really easy way of limiting sales and the usage of them.”
Oliver Hooson, Content creator · The Guardian · Aug 8
“People do not need any more of their privacy stripped away. I'm fully in support of that.”
Oliver Hooson, Content creator · The Guardian · Aug 8
“Would I rather just not have that little fun point-of-view shot for the greater good? Yes, I would defin…”
Oliver Hooson, Content creator · The Guardian · Aug 8
Voices from the web unedited
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Keep it up folks, we can destroy these Pervert Glasses! https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202 6/aug/09/i-kept-catching-people-giving-me-dirty-looks-the-backlash-against-meta-smart-glasses # PervertGlasses # Meta # Zuckerberg # Privacy # Technology # Influencers
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‘Instagram has cracked down’ on the pervert glasses, while ‘Meta is trying to make them mainstream’. C’mon @theguardian.com , WTAF, you know perfectly well this is all one company. Why are you sanewashing this evil bullshit for them?
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https://www. europesays.com/us/991291/ ‘I’ve definitely lost followers’: influencers face backlash over Meta ‘pervert glasses’ content | Meta # Business # UnitedStates # UnitedStates # US