Ray-Ban Stories
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, formerly known as Ray-Ban Stories, are smartglasses created as a collaboration between Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica. They include two cameras, open-ear speakers, a microphone, and touchpad, all built into the frame.[1]
Ray-Ban Stories are the latest in a line of smartglasses released by major companies including Snap Inc and Google and are designed as one component of Facebook’s plans for a metaverse.[2]
Unlike other smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Stories do not include any HUD or AR head-mounted display. On September 27, 2023, Meta removed the "Stories" name and announced the second generation of Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, which featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 processor, upgrade of the cameras to 12 MP, improved audio, livestreaming to Facebook and Instagram, and Meta AI.[3]
The glasses were announced in August 2020 and released on September 9, 2021. They received criticism stemming from mistrust over Facebook’s privacy controls.[4] The small size of the recording indicator light has also led to criticism.[5]
Privacy concerns[edit]
Commentators have raised concerns about the potential invasion of privacy.[4] Without prior knowledge of the product, the glasses could be confused for a regular pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses by individuals in close proximity to the user.[12] Another feature that poses a potential privacy concern has to do with the device’s listening capabilities. Individuals have voiced concerns about the ability of our smart devices to record and listen to users, with or without their permission.[16] Facebook alleges that the glasses are only able to listen to the user after hearing the “Hey, Facebook” wake phrase, which in turn will alert the glasses to one of three commands, take a photo, record a video, or stop recording.[4]
In light of privacy and security breaches happening at Facebook, there has been a growing number of concerns over how data is stored and retrieved from different devices.[17] Facebook, in response to this concern, stated that they will not be able to access the content captured via Ray-Ban Stories without authorization from the user. In contrast to this, the Facebook View app says that the user's voice commands could be sent to Facebook unless the user explicitly opts out.[18] According to the company, this data would be used to "personalize" the user's experience.[18] The company also shared that it has a team dedicated to encrypting photos and data in order to prevent cyber hacking.[19]
The concern that has generated the most vocal response- including concerns from Facebook’s lead privacy regulator in Europe, the Irish Data Protection Committee (DPC), centers on the effectiveness of the glasses at alerting other individuals when they are being photographed or recorded.[5] Facebook claims that the LED light feature in the upper right hand corner of the glasses is able to notify individuals that the person wearing the glasses is recording a video or capturing a photo from up to 25 feet away.[4] According to the article, if a user were to cover the LED light, the camera does not record video and notifies the user.[19] The article also suggests good practices for safety and being a good community member, including: respecting people’s preferences, explaining how the LED light works, not capturing images while operating a vehicle, and powering off the glasses in private spaces.[19]