Credit: C. Scott Brown / Android AuthorityTL;DRMany modders are charging $50 to $100 to physically destroy the recording LED on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, creating an undetected “stealth mode.”While Meta’s software blocks low-tech cover-ups like tape, physically drilling out the LED severs the circuitry without triggering the camera lockout warning.The demand for modifications is heavily driven by content creators secretly filming strangers for viral trendsMeta and EssilorLuxottica finally hit a goldmine with the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The companies reportedly sold over 7 million pairs in 2025 alone, doing what Google Glass never could: making wearable tech look genuinely fashionable. But as with any piece of tech that achieves massive mainstream scale, the compromises and edge cases are starting to catch up. A new report from Joanna Stern is shedding light on a rapidly growing underground industry dedicated to turning these everyday smart glasses into covert spy gear.On a standard pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the right side houses the camera lens, while the left side features a prominent capture LED. Whenever you record a video or go live, that light pulses to signal to the people around you that they’re on camera.