Women are routinely given safety advice for navigating public spaces - cover your drink, share your location, avoid walking alone at night and text someone when you get home. Now, another unusual suggestion is circulating online: if you suspect someone wearing smart glasses is secretly recording you, start playing a Disney song.
(Also read: Meta's 10-year smart glasses deal with Ray-Ban kicks off with John Cena and Mark Zuckerberg in action)
The tip has gained attention across LinkedIn, Threads and other social media platforms amid growing concerns over people allegedly using Meta’s smart glasses to discreetly film women, prank service workers or record unsuspecting strangers before uploading the footage online.
What is ‘copyright hacking’?
According to a Mashable report, the theory has been dubbed “copyright hacking”. The idea is that if copyrighted music is clearly audible in a recording, platforms such as YouTube, TikTok or Instagram could detect it and restrict, mute or block the video.
The tactic may sound clever, particularly as ordinary-looking smart glasses make discreet recording easier. However, whether simply playing a Disney song would actually prevent a video from appearing online is far less certain.
{{/usCountry}}The tactic may sound clever, particularly as ordinary-looking smart glasses make discreet recording easier. However, whether simply playing a Disney song would actually prevent a video from appearing online is far less certain.
{{/usCountry}}The theory largely relies on YouTube’s existing copyright enforcement system.
YouTube uses an automated system called Content ID, which compares uploaded videos with audio and visual material provided by copyright holders. If a match is detected, rights holders can choose what happens next, including tracking the video, monetising it or blocking it.
However, not every Content ID claim leads to a takedown. YouTube says monetisation is the most common policy applied to music claims, meaning a video can remain online while some or all advertising revenue goes to the copyright owner.
Why the trick is not foolproof
Rules can be stricter for some YouTube Shorts. Vertical videos lasting between one and three minutes can be blocked if they receive an active Content ID claim. Even then, an uploader could shorten the clip, remove or replace its audio, or use editing tools to isolate voices from background music.
TikTok may similarly mute copyrighted audio while leaving the visual footage online, allowing users to replace the removed sound.
That means playing a Disney song could potentially make a video more difficult to upload, reduce its profitability or even lead to it being blocked, but there is no guarantee.
Smart glasses raise consent concerns
Meta has introduced safeguards intended to make recording more visible. Its smart glasses feature a white LED that lights up when the camera is operating.
(Also read: Meta Is Flooding the Market With Smartglasses. Privacy Advocates Are Up in Arms.)
However, users have reportedly found ways to interfere with the indicator. Stickers designed to hide the light have been sold online, while people in at least 30 US states have offered services to physically modify it, according to The Wall Street Journal.
While Meta has introduced measures to make such manipulation harder, the broader issue of consent remains. Even when the recording indicator is visible, people may not always notice it or realise that they are being recorded.