Meta glasses and the alleged sting targeting DK Shivakumar

What if someone sitting across from you in a meeting is secretly recording you?

And their camera looks like an ordinary pair of glasses.

That’s the concern Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has raised.

He has accused an industrialist of attempting a sting operation on him and Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan using Meta smart glasses.

According to Shivakumar, the visitor wore the glasses while meeting the two Congress leaders.

But apparently, he didn’t wear them when meeting BJP leaders or Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states.

So, what made Shivakumar suspicious?

He said the visitor initially discussed business.

But the conversation suddenly shifted to politics, booth-level strategies and election calculations.

That’s when Shivakumar asked his officials to check the visitor’s background.

He hasn’t identified the industrialist. Nor has he publicly provided evidence that either meeting was recorded.

But he says precautionary measures have been taken.

Now, this is a serious allegation from a sitting Chief Minister.

But there’s a bigger problem with Meta glasses.

How do you know when someone is recording you?

Unlike a phone camera, these glasses look like ordinary eyewear.

Meta says a small LED light flashes when the glasses record videos or take photos.

But that light can be difficult to spot.

And investigations have found that some users have figured out ways to disable or conceal it.

Meta says newer safeguards can disable the camera if someone tampers with the recording indicator.

But the concerns go beyond political sting operations.

Women have been secretly filmed in public. The footage has then been uploaded online without their consent.

People attending protests have also raised concerns about police recording them with smart glasses.

And what happens to these recordings?

Meta claims they don’t have access to recordings made using the glasses

But investigations have found that Meta was storing recordings made by people wearing its glasses.

A controversial content moderation company was subcontracted by Meta to sort through and annotate content that may be used to train Meta’s AI models.

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has also criticised the secret recording of meetings with ministers and other dignitaries.

So, here’s the question.

If a Chief Minister can suspect he’s being secretly recorded, what chance does the rest of us have of knowing when we’re on camera?