Camera-equipped Smart glasses are fun if you just want to take snapshots and social videos on the go and get AI-powered information like translations without taking out your phone. They can be abused, however, and despite safeguards to prevent it, pick-up artists, clout chasers, and outright stalkers have begun using them to secretly pick up women without their consent. This is why the whole category has developed the unfortunate nickname of “pervert glasses”.
Now, I’m no creep, but I know smart glasses better than anyone. I have been them since they first hit the market and have tested and reviewed many, many pairs. This experience means I can help you spot the warning signs. Read on for my best tips for telling if a date—or even a stranger—is secretly picking on you.
The creepy new trend in smart glasses
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses offer good image quality, as seen in these nature and animal photos (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Smart glasses offer a wide range of capabilities, but you should be especially aware of pairs with built-in cameras. The most popular, prominent and least noticeable are the smart glasses from Meta. Meta has worked with Oakley and Ray-Ban to make fashionable glasses with a built-in AI assistant, speakers for audio, and, yes, cameras. Those cameras have done surprisingly well lately, too; the Ray-Ban Meta and the Oakley Meta HSTN can capture 3K video and 12MP stills. They’re great for casual snaps and video clips with friends, but that also means they’re useful for losers looking for closure.
Because Oakley and Ray-Ban designed the frames for these meta-powered smart glasses, they are available in different designs and colors, with transparent and tinted lenses. The technology inside is so small and discreet that they look almost exactly like regular glasses. There is a giveaway though, and once you learn how to watch it, you’ll wonder how you didn’t see it before.
It’s worth noting that Meta recently released its first pair of AI glasses without a camera, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio. It works just like the other smart glasses I mentioned, but it doesn’t have a camera, which makes it lighter, about $100 cheaper, and completely free of any pervert glasses stigma.
Find the hidden camera lenses
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a camera lens on the right and a recording indicator LED on the left (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
The cameras on both Ray-Ban and Oakley versions of the Meta Smart glasses are located at the end pieces of the frames, the pieces on the upper-left and upper-right corners of the front, which go out to hide the hinges. This is a popular place for shiny little decorations on traditional, non-smart glasses. Maybe you even own glasses with small diamonds, chrome ovals or something similar on these spots. They add a bit of flair without detracting too much from the rest of the frames. You will hardly notice them, and probably won’t bother to examine them.
Learn to look closely because this contamination could be camera lenses. If they are circular and black, with a shiny circle in the center? Those glasses can see you as well as you can see them.
Camera lenses stick out like a sore thumb on light colored frames, but on black, brown or gray pairs they can look completely complementary. They look like shrunken versions of the camera lenses on the back of your phone, and usually measure just a few millimeters in diameter. They seem immediately obvious in retrospect, but they are easy to miss or otherwise write off as typical glasses flair.
The ‘Recording Light’ Is not always a guarantee
Block stickers for LEDs on Meta smart glasses (Credit: Amazon)
Most reputable smart glasses with cameras, including all Meta models, have indicator LEDs that let others know when you’re recording. In fact, of the two circles in the corners of the Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta glasses, only the right one (relative to you) is the camera. The opposite is just the indicator LED, which lights up when the glasses take photos or video. It should be very easy to see. Note that I say should.
That light is really, really easy to block. In fact, an alarming number of Amazon sellers offer stickers or other covers specifically designed to hide the light. I will not link to them in this story, or in the similar skeevy smart glasses I describe below.
Hidden cameras are not always obvious
Sunglasses with a pinhole camera in the bridge (Credit: Amazon)
Meta’s models are the most popular and stylish, but hidden camera glasses have been around for years. There are countless pairs on Amazon, many of which hide their cameras much more than Ray-Ban or Oakley. Instead of a visible lens, they may have an unassuming, almost invisible pinhole camera.
Pinhole cameras generally produce lower quality video than those with larger, more visible lenses, but you probably don’t want even grainy video of yourself being recorded without your consent. Look for a telltale pinhole on the glasses, built into either the nose bridge or end pieces. Individual small holes are not usually used for decoration on eyeglass frames, so there is a good chance that it is a camera.
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Even without a pinhole, glasses can potentially hide cameras. One pair on Amazon that stood out to me hid its camera behind a flat part of the bridge of the nose. No hole, no lens. Like a pinhole camera, it’s likely to produce poor video quality, but that doesn’t make the invasion of privacy any better.
A pair of smart glasses with a hidden camera in the bridge of the nose (Credit: Amazon)
It’s hard to tell if glasses have a camera when it’s so well hidden, but there can still be some signs. If the frames look awkwardly bulky, or there are spots that are uniquely flat or have slightly different textures than the rest of the glasses, that’s a clue.
If you are suspicious, however, you may want to consider hidden cameras in other objects. These days, cameras can fit into almost anything. Water bottles, pens, wristwatches, phone chargers – you name it, you can put a camera in it. These devices exist and are meant to help you record workplace harassment, elder abuse, or other bad behavior as evidence, but that’s a double-edged sword, and creeps can use them too. And, unfortunately, they are designed in such a way that the cameras are extremely difficult to notice at a glance, or even upon close examination.
Awareness is key – not panic
Even with all the ways people can be creepy, there’s no need to panic. Filming with dedicated spy cameras is a worst-case scenario—and probably not the typical approach for most clout-hunting pick-up artist types.
When it comes to the typical manosphere types who try to prove their “worth” through manipulation, they usually opt for the simplest, most modern way, like Ray-Ban or Oakley Meta glasses. The truly obsessed individuals willing to invest in specialized hidden camera equipment are fortunately rare. Finally, it is wise to be aware of any potential risks and take any precautions that make you feel safe.
About Our Expert
Will Greenwald
Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics
Experience
I’m PCMag’s Home Theater and AR/VR Expert, and your go-to source of information and recommendations for gaming consoles and accessories, smart displays, smart glasses, smart speakers, soundbars, TVs, and VR headsets. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and THX-certified home theater technician, I’ve served as a CES Innovation Awards judge, and while Bandai hasn’t officially certified me, I’m also skilled at building Gundam plastic models up to MG-class. I also enjoy writing genre fiction, and my urban fantasy novel, Alex Norton, Paranormal Technical Support, is currently available on Amazon.
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