Fake Meta glasses ads hit London bus stops

Backlash against Meta’s smart glasses has spilled onto the streets of London, where activist group Everyone Hates Elon has taken over two bus stops with fake ads attacking the company’s wearable cameras.

One of the posters mimics a polished campaign image of Kylie Jenner wearing the glasses. Viewed head-on, it looks close to a real ad. From another angle, though, it shifts into black and white, Jenner’s face becomes skeletal, and the message changes from “Meta AI glasses” to “Meta: We’re always watching.”

According to Hyperallergic, the optical illusion is a pointed reference to John Carpenter’s 1988 sci-fi film _They Live_. Another fake ad that appeared in London earlier this month was less subtle: “The biggest advance in pervert technology since the trenchcoat,” it read above a pair of glasses, followed by “Hey Meta, start filming.”

The campaign lands as criticism of always-on wearable cameras grows. In an Instagram post, Everyone Hates Elon wrote:

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“Just because you CAN create sunglasses that record people without their consent and use the footage to train robots… Doesn’t mean you should,”

The group also cited a recent Financial Times report saying Meta is testing a new type of glasses designed to continuously record audio and video. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the source.

The company recently said it would disable the cameras on its smart glasses if it detects that the recording LEDs have been physically tampered with. Meta added that it would “continue to work on ways to make them even safer and more trustworthy.”