Apple wants to enter the smart glasses space soon, and is believed to have a device in the pipeline already. But there seems to be a problem with smart glasses – users are worried about their privacy. And to tackle this, the Cupertino giant will reportedly double down on privacy.
If you have looked up Meta’s smart glasses online, you would be aware that they have become widely unpopular over potential misuse. With smart glasses, a user can capture photos and videos without drawing attention, leading to privacy concerns. Some have even labelled the devices as “pervert glasses.”
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple, which has built a reputation around user privacy, will be addressing such issues with its own smart glasses.
Apple smart glasses to be different
As per the report, Apple plans to rely on on-device processing for its smart glasses, that is, no data will be sent to any server. On top of that, the company is expected to avoid facial recognition and steer clear of always-on recording features similar to Meta’s reported "super sensing" idea. Apple is also likely to avoid using customer recordings to train AI models.
It is believed that the long development cycle for the Apple smart glasses may be linked to the company’s efforts to ensure that it can tackle privacy concerns properly before the device is unveiled.
Apple is also reportedly working on other hardware and software safeguards. One option likely under consideration is a version of the glasses without a camera, or with a camera used only for sensing so that it cannot capture photos or videos.
A similar approach has also been rumoured for Apple’s AI-enabled AirPods and for the external cameras and spatial sensors being developed for future AirPods Pro, which could help users identify objects and describe surroundings without capturing photos or videos.
Apple is expected to reveal the smart glasses at WWDC in June 2027 with a launch before the end of that year.
Meta smart glasses face backlash
The privacy challenge for Apple comes after a wider backlash against Meta’s camera-equipped AI glasses. Public concerns about people being recorded without consent, along with online hacks that reportedly disguise the recording indicator light, have helped fuel the "pervert glasses" nickname.
The devices have also faced protests in the UK and the US. In one recent incident, activist group Everyone Hates Elon targeted a Kylie Jenner advertisement with a lenticular overlay that read, "We are always watching."
The glasses have also been criticised over how they have been used in public. They have appeared in videos made by pickup artist "manfluencers" approaching strangers and by pranksters recording members of the public without consent.
Meta has begun responding to the criticism. In an Instagram story, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company would ban users who upload videos showing them harassing others. "If you’re posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them, like a lot of these pickup line kind of videos that we’ve heard of and seen, then we’re going to take the content down," he said.
Mosseri added, "We don’t want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform. So we’re trying to fight that every way we can."
Meta has also advised users on its website to "turn off your glasses in sensitive spaces like the doctor’s office, locker room, public bathroom, school or place of worship.”
Source: India Today
--Agencies
