Instagram cracks down on harassment videos filmed with Meta smart glasses

MUMBAI: For some creators, the cameras may still be rolling, but Instagram is calling cut. The social media platform has stepped up action against videos recorded using Meta smart glasses that harass or exploit people in public, signalling a tougher stance on prank and pickup content filmed without participants’ knowledge.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said the platform will remove videos captured with Meta’s smart glasses if they involve secretly recording, harassing or exploiting people before being shared online.

Responding to a question on Instagram Stories, Mosseri said the company does not want users covertly filming strangers, harassing them and then posting the footage on Instagram.

“We don’t want people surreptitiously taking videos of other people, harassing them, and then posting them on our platform. So we’re trying to fight that in any way we can,” Business Insider quoted him as saying.

The move follows growing scrutiny of content creators using Meta smart glasses to record interactions with unsuspecting members of the public. Several videos have featured pranks targeting service workers, while others have shown men approaching women in public places including gyms and streets without them initially realising they were being filmed.

According to Business Insider, two major Instagram accounts, each with more than one million followers, have already been deactivated after repeatedly posting pickup videos recorded using Meta glasses. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the accounts were removed for violating Instagram’s policy against sharing harassing content captured with the wearable device.

Meta, however, has not disclosed how many videos have been removed under the updated policy, nor has it detailed the criteria used to determine violations or how enforcement decisions are made.

Alongside the policy changes, the company has introduced a software update for its smart glasses to strengthen privacy safeguards. Earlier versions of the device allowed some users to conceal or tamper with the recording indicator light by covering it or modifying the hardware.

Under the latest update, the glasses will automatically disable the camera if they detect attempts to interfere with the recording light, making it harder to record covertly.

Even so, privacy concerns remain. Critics have pointed out that the recording indicator can still be difficult to spot, particularly in bright outdoor environments, meaning many people may not realise they are being filmed.

The latest measures reflect the growing challenge facing social media platforms as AI-powered and wearable devices become more commonplace balancing creative expression with privacy, consent and responsible use in an increasingly camera-equipped world.