As buyers spend more time with Meta’s new Quest 3 augmented reality headset, some are pushing boundaries by recording passersby without consent. These “glassholes” evoke privacy debates from a decade ago with Google Glass.
Early Adopters Film Strangers Wearing Meta’s AR Glasses
Over the weekend, early adopters of Meta’s Quest 3 glasses began posting videos recorded through the headset’s passthrough cameras instead of virtual gameplay. While the AR capabilities are impressive, users like Jay Mayo, Kukurio59, and Cix Liv recorded people in public spaces like comic conventions, elevators, and cafes without permission. Their carefree filming mirrors the controversial “glasshole” culture around Google Glass years ago.
OK don’t be mad. But someone had to do it.
walked into a cafe in mixed reality pic.twitter.com/WSJEMWuG00
— CIX (@CixLiv) October 16, 2023
Coffee Shop Owner Brushes Off Intrusion
Cix Liv notably filmed themselves ordering coffee at Fiddle Fig Cafe in San Francisco with the AR headset on the whole time. But cafe co-owner Ray Ng told me Liv only wore the headset briefly and didn’t actually drink their coffee with it on. Ng was fine with the cafe being shown and wasn’t too bothered by the stunt. Still, the video may encourage similar antics from attention-seeking early adopters.In addition, you can also read an article on- 10 Best Augmented Reality Apps for Android to Explore the World in a New Way
Headset Design Obscures Recording
Unlike Meta’s Ray-Ban Stories glasses, the Quest 3 lacks clear guidelines on filming strangers in public. Its white recording light is subtle and always on, making it hard to know when someone is capturing you. My wife couldn’t tell if I was filming her with the bulky headset. Meta may need to better indicate recording to avoid public backlash.
Has Our Definition Of Privacy Changed Since Google Glass?
Given the ubiquity of smartphone cameras today, we may tolerate AR recording more than we did during the Google Glass era when businesses banned the headset. But Meta should still provide guidance to prevent invasive use, or risk its new “glassholes” facing similar pushback as before.
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