Quick Take | Wight through the looking-glass

Following backlash over the audio-video recording feature in its flagship glasses, Meta has unveiled a new product. But there's a catch

Spoof advertisements put up around London my protesting groups earlier this year (Photo | X.com)

What does it say about a product’s safety concerns that its maker is considering launching a version without its most-used feature? Meta Platforms, which dominates the global market for smart glasses, is launching a pair without cameras. The company, which last year sold more than 70 lakh of these AI-assisted glasses co-developed with EssilorLuxottica, has been accused in the US and Europe of misleading consumers over a product that records video and audio of people and places without their consent. Such a backlash had forced pioneer Google to take its ‘Explorer’ glasses off the market about a decade ago. India today lacks a law regulating wearable devices such as these, relying instead on the ad hoc application of various statutes. As technology advances at the speed of greased lightning, so must regulation.