--- title: "Meta Working on “Kill Switch” in Face of Overwhelming Disgust With Its “Pervert Glasses”" description: "A new Meta patent outlines \"secure hardware-enforced sensor privacy systems\" and a \"mute or lock\" switch for its consumer products." date: "2026-08-27" modified: "2026-08-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/meta-kill-switch-pervert-glasses" categories: - "Future Society" - "Privacy" --- # Meta Working on “Kill Switch” in Face of Overwhelming Disgust With Its “Pervert Glasses” ![A pair of Meta smart glasses.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* Much like Google's infamous Google Glass smart glasses, Meta's camera-equipped AI Glasses have turned into a widely derided gadget associated with horrendous public behavior and unwanted surveillance. The invasive spectacles, which are designed to effectively be indistinguishable from an ordinary pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, have been misused by [creeps, pickup artists, "manfluencers]()," [juvenile pranksters](), and [even high school bullies](). All that awful behavior has garnered them the pejorative "[pervert glasses]()," with owners increasingly opting to leave them at home because they're [unwilling to be seen wearing them in public](). Now, a [patent Meta filed in February]() and was granted last week suggests that the company is painfully aware of the privacy nightmare of its own creation. The patent outlines "secure hardware-enforced sensor privacy systems" and a "mute or lock" switch that can shut down "one or more sensors" in consumer-facing products. Put simply, the company appears to be working on a "kill switch," as [*The Independent* put it]() — very likely as a way to get its worst Meta Glasses users under control. While the patent remains vague about what kind of products it's referring to beyond listing "augmented reality devices," it's not a stretch to assume the move may have been inspired by its recent PR troubles surrounding its smart glasses. The patent includes several depictions that closely resemble its current offerings. (*Futurism* reached out to Meta for clarification, but did not hear back.) The patent was filed on February 6, three weeks before Swedish newspapers *Svenska Dagbladet* and *Göteborgs-Posten* published a shocking [joint investigation]() detailing how Meta contractors based in Nairobi, Kenya, were being instructed to review highly sensitive and intimate data recorded by the glasses. The reporting received widespread media attention, reigniting an [existing]() and heated debate. For now, it remains trivially easy to sidestep Meta's guardrails. Its smart glasses feature a small LED light on the front to indicate whether it's recording or not. However, a simple sticker can [reportedly render it useless](). While the company has [implemented software features]() that will disable the camera if it detects that someone has tempered with it, users are [still finding plenty of ways to get around them](). **More on the glasses:** [*Meta Furious Over Bombshell Smart Glasses Revelation*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()