Modders Can Remove the Recording Light From Meta's Smart Glasses, for a Price

The recording light on the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses isn't much of a deterrent for those with a couple of bucks. Tech journalist Joanna Stern took her pair to a modder she found on Facebook Marketplace, who removed the indicator LED for $100, making it all but impossible for anyone to know she was recording. And she's not the only customer. These services are everywhere.The Ray-Ban Meta has proved more popular than Google's failed Glass attempt from over a decade ago. But they're still giving people the ick because they make secret recordings easier and open the door to invasions of privacy.When we reviewed the second edition late last year, we found it was a notable improvement over its predecessor, but the battery life still wasn't great, and the AI functions felt bloated and unfocused. It also only paid lip service to the privacy of anyone in the camera's view.In her report, Stern shows how, with a simple drill and a tube of resin, you can make the glasses seem not to be recording when they actually are. She found indicator-removal services in 30 states. Putting the specs into "Stealth Mode" involves breaking the LED's glass front, cleaning out the pieces, and then using a Dremel to drill out the LED without damaging the underlying electronics. After filling the hole with resin to make it look like glass, the mod is complete, and the glasses look like new.Meta claims it is actively trying to prevent this, removing ads on its platform for the service. Modding the glasses is against the terms of service, which voids your warranty. Covert recording can be illegal in some states, but proving it happened isn't easy.When tech journalist Dan Ackerman told me he was retiring his smart glasses because people were uncomfortable around him while he wore them, I wasn't surprised. I certainly would have felt similarly uncomfortable if I could be recorded on a whim, even with an LED letting me know it was happening. Without it, though? That's even more concerning. If you want to prevent these kinds of stealth recordings, apps like No Glassholes can detect if anyone nearby is using Meta smart glasses. That's not enough to confirm recording, but it's one line of defense against this kind of stealth recording.