Privacy Concerns Arise as TikTok Sellers Offer Stickers to Disable Meta Smart Glasses' Recording Indicator

Stickers Sold on TikTok Fail to Block Meta AI Glasses' Recording Indicator

Ray-Ban Meta Glasses launched in India on May 13 Ray-Ban Meta Glasses included an LED to ensure privacy The smartglasses feature two 12-megapixel cameras Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses come with an LED light, which is designed to work with its 12-megapixel camera. The feature is designed to alert people in front of the wearer that they are being recorded. However, a car customisation company, known for making vehicle wraps, is reportedly selling vinyl covers to hide or dim the LED indicator. Several people have in the past tried unsuccessfully to bypass this privacy feature. The vinyl cover is allegedly being sold on TikTok, but it doesn't properly work, according to a report. According to a Wired report, a car customisation company, known for producing wraps for different vehicles, is selling a vinyl cover for the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, which can be used for hiding or "dimming" the recording indicator light. The light was integrated into the wearable smart glasses, to ensure that the person in front of the wearer is aware that they are being recorded. The vinyl covers for the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, called the "Luxe GhostDots 4 Meta Glasses", are currently listed on the TikTok store, reportedly claiming to block or dim the "bright white" recording indicator light. The company has reportedly sold at least 500 sets of the "Ghost Dots" via the social media app. One set is said to contain 20 vinyl dots. Each set is reportedly being sold for $15 (roughly Rs. 1,315). The report states that the vinyl dots for Ray-Ban Meta Glasses do not seem to work properly. The seller has also uploaded an instructional video that shows exactly how to place these translucent dots on the camera lens, according to the publication. The smart glasses reportedly recognise that the LED recording indicator is covered and halts recording. Launched on May 13 in India, the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses feature a 12-megapixel camera that allows users to record vertical videos and photos. The smart glasses can take photos at a 3,024×4,032 pixel resolution and record 1080p videos for up to 60 seconds. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 SoC, the smartglasses come with 32GB of onboard storage. They also come with a suite of AI-powered features, along with the ability to play music.

TikTok sellers show how to disable Meta smart glasses' privacy light

A sticker to hide the recording light on Meta's Ray-Ban glasses gains popularity on TikTok. Luxe Wrap Stars sells these stickers, raising privacy concerns. The stickers aim to bypass Meta's recording light, meant to alert others. TikTok's role in promoting these products faces scrutiny. Meta emphasizes smart glasses, but experts stress the need for visible recording indicators. A vinyl sticker designed to obscure the recording indicator on Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses is gaining traction on TikTok, sparking a wave of concern over digital privacy, platform accountability, and the unchecked marketing of surveillance circumvention tools. A TikTok Shop listing, posted by Luxe Wrap Stars, a vehicle customization business based just outside of Atlanta, is offering what it calls "Luxe GhostDots 4 Meta Glasses." The product, a $15 sheet of black circular stickers, is marketed explicitly to block or dim the bright LED recording light that appears when Meta's smart glasses are capturing video or images. "Have a pair of Meta glasses and you want to get rid of this indicator, right here?" a man asks in a promotional video on the Luxe Wrap Stars TikTok account, pointing to the light embedded on the glasses. "I have the perfect solution for you." That video alone has garnered over 2 million views, and TikTok metrics suggest hundreds of sets may have been sold. But the stickers' intended use, to discreetly record without others knowing, has sparked alarm among privacy advocates and technologists. Meta deliberately included the recording light on its smart glasses as a visual cue for bystanders, a feature the company considers essential for ethical use. In fact, the glasses are programmed to shut down photo and video functions if the light is blocked. Despite this safeguard, the Luxe GhostDots listing proudly claims to offer a workaround. The TikTok Shop description reads: "Block or dim that bright white recording light with these precision-cut vinyl dots." In an apparent attempt to bypass Meta's restrictions, the seller even offers instructions. One video guides users to cover parts of the glasses while applying the sticker to trick the device into continuing to function. Yet reviews on TikTok Shop tell a different story. Many users report the stickers simply don't work. Still, the seller urges users to try more advanced tricks. "With the new update, instead of covering only the camera lens to bypass the alert, you have to cover the frame that the camera lens side is on," reads one recent response from the account. WIRED, which first reported the story, found the stickers were promoted through TikTok's algorithm on the "For You Page" and appeared as sponsored listings, even after a journalist clicked on the seller's account. Search suggestions like "light dimming stickers" appeared at the top of the TikTok Shop page, suggesting a tacit algorithmic endorsement. The product's visibility raises urgent questions about how TikTok monitors, or fails to monitor, products that appear to encourage covert surveillance. Interestingly, all Luxe Wrap Stars products briefly disappeared from TikTok after WIRED reached out for comment, only to return hours later, seemingly without explanation. Last week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg used the company's earnings call to double down on smart glasses, calling them "the ideal form factor for AI." He suggested that those without such devices could find themselves at a "cognitive disadvantage" in the future. But experts argue that if smart glasses become widely adopted, maintaining visible recording indicators will be critical to protecting public consent and privacy.