“It’s okay to have a 30-second conversation with someone,” Vallely said.
“I think that’s something we’re losing due to technology, and I’m trying to use technology to spin it around.”
Vallely said he could understand the reasoning behind banning wearing Meta glasses “if people are being crude and rude”, but he said the intention behind filming was key.
“People know it’s me doing it, while other people do it on troll accounts. No matter what is invented, people are going to use things for the wrong reasons.”
Still, while Vallely said he hasn’t run into any opposition, there are reports suggesting an increased friction between people using the glasses to film and the general public.
Last December, people hailed a woman as “a hero” after she snapped a man’s Meta glasses in two on the New York subway.
In July, police in Scotland began an investigation after complaints over a TikToker who used the glasses to secret film members of the public.
Referring to the company’s ban on filming, a Wetherspoons spokesperson said smart glasses breached “common sense by enabling surreptitious surveillance” while Monopoly Events, which runs Comic Con Northern Ireland, also banned wearing the glasses at its events over concerns about secret recording.
Meanwhile, TikTok videos of users approaching women, asking for their number and filming their reaction to pick-up lines, are often posted with the hashtag #howtogetagirlfriend and can garner thousands of views.
