The 404 Media Podcast Why Are DHS Agents Wearing Meta Ray-Bans?
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Aug 13, 2025 A Customs and Border Protection agent made headlines by wearing Meta Ray-Bans during an immigration raid, stirring debates on privacy and accountability. The conversation shifts to voice actors facing a 'Faustian bargain' with AI, weighing lucrative opportunities against ethical concerns of job security. The podcast also reveals how a DEA official misused a cop’s password for surveillance, raising alarms about transparency in law enforcement. These topics highlight the intersection of technology, ethics, and public perception in today’s world.
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Agent Wearing Meta Glasses At Raid
- Jason Kepler and Joseph Cox describe footage of a CBP agent wearing Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses during a Home Depot immigration raid.
- The footage shows agents, arrests, and an altercation while one agent wore glasses with a camera, raising questions about device use and oversight.
Capabilities And Privacy Risks Of Ray-Bans
- Meta Ray-Ban glasses can record, livestream, and run image-recognition AI but lack native facial recognition.
- Third-party apps and past demos show those glasses can be paired with phone apps to enable facial ID, creating potential privacy risks.
Multiple Agents Wearing The Same Tech
- Additional photos and footage from MacArthur Park showed multiple agents wearing the same Meta glasses, suggesting it's not an isolated personal-device case.
- That pattern elevates concerns about agency-level use, testing, or informal adoption beyond one-off behavior.