Smart glasses are spyware
That’s me, virtually trying on Meta’s glasses on their website, doing my best Tom Cruise Risky Business impersonation. Spoiler, I didn’t buy them.
These remind me of Google Glass. Those awkward $1,500 face computers from 2013 that made you look like a cyborg at brunch. They launched with a ton of hype and died just as fast.
Between the terrible battery life and the privacy panic, “Glasshole” became a real word. Here we are over a decade later, and smart glasses are back big-time.
🕶 Meta’s bet on your face
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses start at $299 and have already sold over 2 million pairs. They look like regular sunglasses but take hands-free photos, livestream video, play music and even answer questions through Meta AI whispered in your ear.
Battery life is four to six hours, and they charge inside a little sunglasses case. Everything syncs to the Meta View app, where your content is stored in the cloud.
Here’s the thing: The glasses are always listening, and they can start recording with just a tap. Meta added a tiny LED that lights up when filming, but really, who notices that at a Starbucks or party?
Privacy aside, Meta’s serious about this space. They own a $3.5 billion stake in EssilorLuxottica, the massive eyewear company behind Ray-Ban, Oakley and pretty much every brand you’ve ever tried on at the mall.
👓 Halo X is coming soon
Halo X is the chilling nerdy challenger, made by startup Brilliant Labs. It projects AI-generated responses right onto the lens. You can ask it to translate a sign, identify a flower or even help remember the name of someone you met at a bar two Friday nights ago.
Seriously, it records everything. Video, audio, all of it gets uploaded to the cloud. No local storage. No off switch. That’s helpful … or horrifying, depending on how you feel about privacy.
Battery life is short, two or three hours. When it ships in a few months, the glasses will cost $350 to $400.
📜 Is this even legal?
In most U.S. states, as long as you’re part of the conversation, you can legally record it. This is called one-party consent law. But in about 11 states, including California, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania, all parties must consent before recording anything, even a one-second video or audio clip.
Want to check your state? Here’s a handy breakdown of which states require everyone’s consent and which don’t.
Knowing your state laws before you record someone is just sound advice. (I saw that smirk!)
Now, would you wear them? I’m curious. Let me know what you think at the end when you rate this newsletter. I’ll pick the person with the best reasons to win $25 and be a special guest on my show. Yes, your 15 minutes of fame and money!
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Tags: computers, glasses, Meta, privacy, video
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