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Meta faces scrutiny over 'pervert glasses' as Instagram struggles to consistently remove harassing pickup-line videos

Meta is currently addressing a growing public perception that its smart glasses are being used for covert, often harassing, recordings of people in public. While the administration announced that Instagram head Adam Mosseri would remove 'harassing' pickup-line videos, a recent investigation revealed that the cleanup process remains uneven. Out of 20-plus videos submitted for review, Meta only removed nine, showing that the platform's enforcement of community standards regarding bullying and sexual harassment is still in progress. Research from the University of Sydney suggests that nearly 60% of covert recording videos made with the glasses feature harassing behavior, with 43% resulting in derogatory comments toward unwitting female subjects. To mitigate these issues, Meta has restricted search terms like 'rizz' and 'cold approach.' However, the company faces a challenge as sales of the glasses have tripled in 2025, reaching 7 million units. Meta is betting on AI to improve moderation at scale, with early tests showing that AI systems may be more accurate than human moderators in flagging violating content.

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