Instagram has announced a new policy prohibiting videos captured with Meta smart glasses that feature harassment of strangers in public spaces, targeting creeps who film pranks and pickup attempts without clear consent. Meta’s smart glasses have picked up the nickname “pervert glasses” due to their misuse.
Business Insider reports that Instagram head Adam Mosseri revealed the platform’s crackdown on certain types of content filmed using Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses in a recent Instagram story response. The new policy specifically targets videos showing harassment of unsuspecting individuals in public locations, including the controversial pickup artist videos and prank content that have proliferated on social media platforms.
“If you’re posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them, like a lot of these pickup line kind of videos that we’ve heard of and seen, then we’re going to take the content down,” Mosseri stated. “We don’t want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform. So we’re trying to fight that every way we can.”
The policy change comes after increasing concerns about the misuse of Meta’s smart glasses technology for creating questionable content. There is a growing trend of videos appearing on TikTok and Instagram Reels where content creators film themselves executing pranks on service industry workers while wearing the glasses. These pranks often cross the line into harassment territory, with examples including incidents where creators spray fart spray into candles at retail stores and then ask employees to smell them.
Following the policy announcement, Business Insider discovered that at least two major accounts belonging to pickup artists who filmed themselves approaching women while wearing Meta glasses had been deactivated. Both accounts previously boasted followings exceeding one million users. A Meta spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that these accounts were removed for violating the new policy regarding harassing content filmed with the smart glasses.
However, details about the policy’s enforcement mechanisms remain unclear. Meta has not provided specific information about what exactly constitutes a violation under the new rules or how the company plans to systematically identify and remove offending content.
The Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses include a built-in indicator light designed to alert people when recording is in progress. Earlier versions of the glasses faced criticism when users discovered ways to tamper with or obscure this light by drilling holes or covering it with tape or film. In response, Meta announced an update that will automatically disable the camera function if someone attempts to tamper with the indicator light.
Despite this technological safeguard, concerns remain about the effectiveness of the indicator light as a privacy protection measure. The small light positioned in the corner of the glasses is not universally recognized as a recording signal and can be difficult to notice, particularly in outdoor settings with bright ambient light. Even in close conversations, the indicator light can go unnoticed by people who are being recorded.
The timing of Instagram’s policy implementation may be connected to Meta’s efforts to distance its smart glasses from the “pervert glasses” label that has gained traction on social media platforms. This derogatory nickname reflects growing public unease about the potential for these devices to enable covert recording and privacy violations.
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.