'Pervert glasses': Backlash against Meta's smart glasses grows

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Set us as preferred Meta wants its smart glasses to be a big hit, but the high-tech specs have also turned into a liability, as some are calling the gadget “pervert glasses.”The social media giant dominates the market for smart glasses, which allow people to capture photos and videos, listen to music, take phone calls and ask questions to an artificial intelligence assistant.Some people are using the glasses — which look like a pair of regular spectacles — to record people without their knowledge and publish the videos on social media.The users secretly videotape and share what happens when they try to pick up women.

Now, a growing number of people are worried they could be covertly recorded at the gym or even during sex.The backlash has prompted Meta to update its glasses to address privacy concerns, and some places have banned them, adding to the angst surrounding technology that’s rapidly evolving.It’s too early to tell whether the criticism will dent sales of smart glasses, said Jitesh Ubrani, a director at the market research company IDC.

“A headline cycle like this is exactly the kind of thing that could slow momentum with mainstream buyers, even if early adopters don’t blink,” he said.Artificial intelligence seems to be popping up everywhere, fueling the advancement of hardware beyond the smartphone but also debate about its use.

“We’re at a very sensitive time for the tech industry in terms of trying to really preserve that positive consumer sentiment that’s taking a bit of a hit due to AI, and it’s absolutely applicable to smart glasses,” said Jacob Bourne, a technology analyst at eMarketer.Gaby Luisa was standing outside a dance club in Arizona earlier this summer when a man wearing glasses threw out a pickup line.“Did I just run into my future wife?” he asked.

She politely let him know she wasn’t interested and moved on with her evening.She was shocked to find out ...