Shubnam, a 38-year-old transfeminine graphic designer, was packing for a move when a friend sent them an Instagram video. It showed a Delhi protest where a content creator had approached Shubnam and asked why they were wearing "female clothing." The exchange had been recorded on Meta smart glasses styled as ordinary Wayfarers, then edited into a mocking reel that drew millions of views and a wave of transphobic abuse. Shubnam told MIT Technology Review the video "rewound two decades of progress" and left them afraid to wear a sari outside their neighborhood.
Smart glasses are among the fastest-growing devices in India's wearables market, and Reliance Jio plans to launch a sub-$105 rival to Meta's glasses later this year. The core problem, researchers say, is that the cameras don't look like cameras. Meta maintains that every pair has a capture LED that blinks during recording and that the camera is disabled if the LED is covered or damaged. But experts note that tutorials already show users how to obscure the light, and the burden of spotting it falls on bystanders. Women and marginalized groups face greater harm when footage circulates without consent, said Oxford researcher Janusz Świerczyński.
The devices are also being used by police. In June, Delhi police wore Meta smart glasses to film student protesters, and a petition filed before the Delhi High Court alleged that protesters were recorded continuously for weeks, including while eating and resting. India's solicitor general dismissed the case as "luxury litigation," and police instead opened criminal investigations against students. Sameer Parmar, a counselor at a safety helpline working with Meta, said the country's weak understanding of consent gives an invisible camera far more room to cause harm, and violations involving covert recording are rising.