Brands roast each other on social media all the time. Usually it is a snarky reply about burgers. On Nov. 2, Telegram went a lot further. The messaging app posted a video on X with the caption “those @ray_ban pervert glasses are always listening btw,” starring a fursuit mascot in giant pink sunglasses and a Telegram T-shirt. In a little over a day, the post passed 1.3 million views and 16,000 likes, and it became an X trending story. Some fans joked that the fursuit is now a tax-deductible business expense.
those @ray_ban pervert glasses are always listening btw
– Telegram (@telegram) November 2, 2026
What Telegram is actually saying
Under the dance moves, the 90-second video is a privacy rant. The mascot (who introduces itself as “a Telegram intern, but I’m a furry now”) says Meta smart glasses were “caught recording conversations without even being activated.” It also warns that the stranger on the subway may have disabled the recording light, and says that whatever the glasses hear goes to Meta’s AI. Then it reads Meta’s own fine print, which says voice transcripts are stored by default to help improve Meta’s products, including training its AI. The punchline: if you buy Meta glasses, you are the product. If your friends buy them, you are still the product, because they agreed for you.
It is a funny, well-made roast. It is also a roast from a direct competitor, since Meta owns WhatsApp. Telegram has its own long list of privacy and moderation debates, so take the sermon with a grain of salt. The joke landed because the timing was perfect, not because Telegram is a neutral referee.
Why “pervert glasses” is trending now
The nickname did not come from Telegram. “Pervert glasses” and “creepy glasses” have been floating around for months. In September, the BBC reported on people who were filmed in public without realizing it. Some venues, including the UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon, have banned smart glasses. Someone even made an app that tries to detect nearby Meta glasses.
Then, on Oct. 28, Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey sent Mark Zuckerberg a letter about what they called serious privacy risks, as reported by 404 Media and Engadget. They asked Meta how accidental recording is prevented, whether the recording LED can be tampered with, which AI features might not trigger the light, whether bystanders’ faces get blurred, and who at Meta or its contractors can see the footage. They want answers by late November. A lawsuit also alleges that private footage was seen by overseas contractors. Those claims are still just allegations.
Meta’s side of it
Meta says privacy is built in. According to its AI glasses privacy page, a capture LED blinks whenever you take a photo or record video, and the camera will not work if the LED is covered. Meta told the BBC that fewer than 0.1% of frames show signs of tampering, and that EssilorLuxottica sold 7 million pairs last year. So most wearers are not up to anything, but the small minority who are is the reason people are nervous.
The plot twist: Ray-Ban Meta glasses without a camera
Here is the funny part. Meta already sells an answer to the camera worries. This fall, it launched Ray-Ban Meta Audio, its first glasses with speakers, mics and Meta AI, but no camera at all. They come in Burbank and Clubmaster styles, weigh 43 g and cost $349. They still have microphones, so they are not exactly a tinfoil hat. But nobody can secretly film you with a camera that does not exist.
Get the camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio ($349), or if you want the camera and promise to behave, the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 ($379).
GadgetKing take
Smart glasses are genuinely great for hands-free photos, music and quick questions. But a camera on your face changes the deal for everyone around you, not just you. Telegram’s mascot is clearly enjoying itself at a rival’s expense, and it still has a point. Respect the LED, ask before you record, and maybe skip the fursuit at dinner.
Sources: Telegram on X, 404 Media, Engadget, Bloomberg Government, BBC, Meta AI glasses privacy and Meta. Images: Telegram (video stills, 01 and 02) and Meta (product photos, 03 and 04).
More AI wearables: the Amazon Bee Frontier AI wearable, the Memoket Gem AI note taker and the VITURE Beast XR glasses.
