What you need to know
- A report discovered a Meta patent for new “hardware-level” locking for AI glasses microphones and cameras.
- It’s been stated that this method removes software completely, meaning no nefarious actors could reactivate your mic or camera without your knowledge.
- The idea is to return privacy to the people, as Meta’s AI glasses have come under severe backlash due to others recording people against their will or knowledge.
Having a pair of smart glasses is one thing. But to many, it’s an entirely different topic when you factor in cameras and microphones that can record you. A report claims Meta’s filed a patent that could help bring our privacy back.
The team at Patentlyze highlighted a patent from Meta that could help alleviate privacy concerns surrounding smart glasses. The publication states Meta has filed a patent for a “privacy shield” that’s operated in full by hardware components. Software plays no role in muting/unmuting the microphone or cutting off the camera. As Patentlyze notes, this would be a notable shift from how these functions are operated on a device like a phone, which relies on software.
According to its discovery, this “hardware mute circuit” would lock the camera/micrpohone at “atomically.” This reportedly leaves no room for hackers or other nefarious attackers to activate these sensitive areas without you knowing. More importantly, Patentlyze says, “no app, no operating system update, and no remote hack can flip it back on.” Other details in the patent mention that the “trigger,” the act of muting or cutting off the camera, would need to come from a “verified hardware source.”
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Right now, we can think of this as a button that you can press or perhaps a switch you can slide into a locked state.
This is a patent, and, as always, there’s no telling if or when we could see this on the market. At present, we have something to hold us over.
This patent discovery follows the same line as a recent mandatory patch Meta pushed to its AI glasses last month. This patch deserves context. It was reported that users with Meta’s AI glasses were covering the LED indicator that illuminates when the camera is active. It would let people record others without their knowledge. It was creepy and unsettling. These same malicious users found other means of getting around the LED indicator, such as drilling holes and other modifications.
Meta’s patch solves this. The company states that any tampering with the LED recording light will disable the camera completely. If the privacy light is tampered with or covered, this safeguard will activate. There’s been no shortage of backlash from people about Meta’s “pervert glasses,” or however you may describe them. This update was a step in bringing back user privacy. Now, with this recent patent, it seems Meta isn’t done.
Android Central’s Take
People, right? It’s like the one bad student in class that gets the teacher made, so now we all have extra homework for the weekend. Painful. Something like this gives a company’s product a bad rep. But it’s more than that. Put Meta aside and just think on a street level. No one wants to feel like they’re being watched. No one wants to be recorded. For what? Why are you recording them? A person’s privacy is nothing to scoff at, and it’s definitely nothing to defile.