Meta isn’t exactly known for keeping your data safe. Meta, like a handful of other technology companies, is primarily in the advertising business. You want to sell personalized ads to other companies to place on their social media platforms, tailored to you using the data you collect.
This is Meta’s core business model and explains why the brand wants as much user data as possible. That without entering into the data privacy scandals Meta has been involved over the years.
Naturally, putting a meta camera and microphone in your face can raise some concerns. I admit that, as a Meta skeptic, I had some qualms about purchasing Meta’s smart glasses ecosystem. But they are the best, and as a result, I overcame my fears about privacy. However, I make sure that as many My Meta smart glasses Data remains as private as possible using these three simple settings in the Meta AI app. Here’s how you can do it too.
I bought Meta smart glasses (three pairs, in fact) because of the “smart” features. By this I mean the built-in camera, microphone, speaker, and Bluetooth capabilities. Although the brand heavily markets these wearables as “AI glasses,” I’m not really interested in putting them on. Meta’s AI in my face. To some extent, AI is built directly into Smart Metaglasses, but there are a few things you can do to prevent accidental interactions and unwanted data sharing.
Specifically, the Meta glasses have “Hey Meta” and “OK Meta” wake words that activate the voice assistant when spoken. Any content captured or recorded during a Meta AI session can be used for training purposes or even manually reviewed by humans. For this reason, you don’t want Meta AI to accidentally activate when your smart glasses think you’ve said “Hello Meta” or “OK Meta.”
Fortunately, you can turn off hands-free Meta AI mode in the app by following these steps:
1. Open the Meta AI app.
2. Connect your Meta smart glassesand then touch the configuration gear for your glasses.
3. Tap Meta AI.
4. Press “Hello Meta” preferences.
5. Move the switch to the side “Hello Meta” off.
You will now still be able to activate Meta AI using the touch panel on the side of the right temple of your smart glasses. However, voice-activated Meta AI will no longer be available, and that’s great if you want to limit accidental triggers and reduce data sharing with Meta.
The goal of changing this setting is to keep as much data as possible on your devices and avoid sharing unnecessary data with Meta. There is no better way to do this than by disabling the Cloud media feature on your smart glasses. When enabled, this setting shares your photos and videos with metaservers for cloud processing. These are stored in the cloud for 30 days before being automatically deleted. You can also manually delete them from both your device and the cloud in the Meta AI app.
It is possible to prevent processing and cloud storage of the photos and videos you take with Meta smart glasses with a quick settings adjustment. This keeps everything on your device, meaning your photos and videos won’t be sent to metaservers. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the Meta AI app.
2. Connect your Meta smart glassesand then touch the configuration gear for your glasses.
3. Tap Glasses Privacy.
4. Move the switch to the side Cloud Media off.
Cloud media processing could Improve the quality of your photos and videos recorded with Meta smart glassesbut I prefer to keep everything on the device for privacy reasons. You can always upload your captures to another cloud media service, such as Google Photosfor storage, enhancements and editing.
Each product and service wants you to share additional datausually to identify bugs and improve features. This is a somewhat noble request, but I will always politely decline to share data beyond what is absolutely necessary.
There is some data that Meta describes as “essential” and must be shared. The other category of data is called “additional data” and is described as “information about how you use your glasses and AI wrist devices.”
Thanks for asking, Meta, but no thanks. I disable additional data collection for my Meta wearables with these steps:
1. Open the Meta AI app.
2. Connect your Meta smart glassesand then touch the configuration gear for your glasses.
3. Tap Glasses privacy.
4. Move the switch to the side Share additional data off.
Now Meta will only collect data that is absolutely necessary. Details about how you use your devices, including how often you use them, will not be shared.
I wish Meta would do more to address the valid privacy concerns associated with their products and services, namely the ones you wear on your face. In the meantime, these three settings will help you keep as much data private as possible, so you can continue using Meta glasses without fear of sharing too much.
My favorite Meta glasses
Oakley Meta HSTN are my most used Meta glasses due to their sleek design and secure fit. I use them to capture videos, take photos, make calls, and listen to music, and I don’t have to sacrifice my privacy in the process thanks to these three settings.
