Ray-Ban Meta users say their smart glasses are making secret recordings

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses users have accused the company of secretly recording audio conversations and generating text transcripts without users' consent. According to reports on Reddit, the issue has been experienced across three different generations of the devices. Users claim that this behavior occurs even when the "Hey Meta" command is not issued to activate the on-board AI.

Reddit user "r/MetaGlasses" wrote, "If you own a pair of Meta smart specs, you can check voice recording activity by opening the Meta AI app on your phone, then selecting Glasses Device settings. Tap on the name of your glasses, then Glasses privacy Voice activity log." From there, users can delete the recorded voice data, but there is no option to prevent the glasses from capturing it in the first place.

Meta has responded to Android Authority, stating that the issue has been resolved. However, users have been asked to turn off voice activation for the AI in the Meta AI app settings, which is seen as an inconvenience. The privacy notice associated with the device mentions that voice services may be activated "inadvertently" and that some recordings may be reviewed by Meta staff to improve the voice services.