A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent wore Meta’s AI smart glasses to a June 30 immigration raid outside a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles, according to photos and videos of the agent verified by 404 Media. 

Meta does not have a contract with CBP, and 404 Media was unable to confirm whether or not the agent recorded any video using the smart glasses at the raid. Based on what we know so far, this appears to be a one-off case of an agent either wearing his personal device to an immigration raid, or CBP trying technology on an ad-hoc basis without a formal procurement process. Civil liberties and privacy experts told 404 Media, however, that even on a one-off basis, it signals that law enforcement agents are interested in smart glasses technology and that the wearing of smart glasses in an immigration raid context is highly concerning.

“There’s a nonzero chance the agent bought the Meta smart glasses because they wanted it for themselves and it’s the glasses they like to wear. But even if that’s the case, it’s worth pointing out that there are regulatory things that need to be thought through, and this stuff can trickle down to officers on an individual basis,” Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s security and surveillance project, told 404 Media. “There needs to be compliance with rules and laws even if a technology is not handed out through the department. The questions around [smart glasses are ones] we’re going to have to grapple with very soon and they’re pretty alarming.”

The glasses were worn by a CBP agent outside of a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles during a June 30 immigration raid which happened amid weeks of protests, the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines, and during which immigration enforcement in Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and the backlash to it. 404 Media obtained multiple photos and videos of the CBP agent wearing the Meta glasses and verified that the footage and videos were taken outside of the Cypress Park Home Depot during an immigration raid. The agent in the photo is wearing Meta’s Ray Ban AI glasses, a mask, and a CBP uniform and patch. CBP did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

In the video, a CBP agent motions to the person filming the video to back up. The Meta Ray Ban AI glasses are clearly visible on the agent’s face.  

Meta’s AI smart glasses currently feature a camera, live-streaming capabilities, integration with Meta’s AI assistant, three microphones, and image and scene recognition capabilities through Meta AI. The Information reported that Meta is considering adding facial recognition capabilities to the device, though they do not currently have that functionality. When filming, a recording light on Meta’s smart glasses turns on; in the photos and brief video 404 Media has seen, the light is not on. 

Students at Harvard University showed that they can be used in conjunction with off-the-shelf facial recognition tools to identify people in near real time. 

Multiple experts 404 Media spoke to said that these smart glasses qualify as a body worn camera under the Department of Homeland Security’s and Customs and Border Protection’s video recording policies. CBP’s policy states that “no personally owned devices may be used in lieu of IDVRS [Incident Driven Video Recording Systems] to record law enforcement encounters,” and that “recorded data shall not be downloaded or recorded for personal use or posted onto a personally owned device.” DHS’s policy states “the use of personally owned [Body Worn Cameras] or other video, audio, or digital recording devices to record official law enforcement activities is prohibited.”

Under the Trump administration, however, enforcement of regulations for law enforcement engaging in immigration raids is largely out the window. 

“I think it should be seen in the context of an agency that is really encouraging its agents to actively intimidate and terrorize people. Use of cameras can be seen as part of that,” Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU, told 404 Media. “It’s in line with the masking that we’ve seen, and generally behavior that’s intended to terrorize people, masking failure to identify themselves, failure to wear clear uniforms, smashing windows, etc. A big part of why this is problematic is the utter lack of policy oversight here. If an agent videotapes themselves engaging in abusive activity, are they going to be able to bury that video? Are they going to be able to turn it on and off on the fly or edit it later? There are all kinds of abuses that can happen with these without regulation and enforcement of those regulations, and the prospects of that happening in this administration seem dim.”

When reached for comment, a Meta spokesperson asked 404 Media a series of questions about the framing of the article, and stressed that Meta does not have any contract with CBP. They then asked why Meta would be mentioned in the article at all: “I’m curious if you can explain why it is Meta will be mentioned by name in this piece when in previous 404 reporting regarding ICE facial recognition app and follow up reporting the term ‘smartphones’ or ‘phone’ is used despite ICE agents clearly using Apple iPhones and Android devices,” they said. Meta ultimately declined to comment for this story. 

Meta also recently signed a partnership deal with defense contractor Anduril to offer AI, augmented reality, and virtual reality capabilities to the military through Meta’s Reality Labs division, which also makes the Meta smart glasses (though it is unclear what form this technology will take or what its capabilities will be). Earlier this year, Meta relaxed its content moderation policies on hate speech regarding the dehumanization of immigrants, and last month Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth was named an Army Reserve Lt. Colonel by the Trump administration.

“Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a press release announcing the deal with Anduril. “We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.”

“My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that,” Anduril founder Palmer Luckey said in the press release.

In a recent earnings call, Zuckerberg said he believes smart glasses will become the primary way people interact with AI. “I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI or some way to interact with AI, I think you’re kind of similarly, probably [will] be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people and who you’re working with, or competing against,” he said during the call. “That’s also going to unlock a lot of value where you can just interact with an AI system throughout the day in this multimodal way. It can see the content around you, it can generate a UI for you, show you information and be helpful.”

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has recently gained access to a new facial recognition smartphone app called Mobile Fortify that is connected to several massive government databases, showing that DHS is interested in facial recognition tech.

Privacy and civil liberties experts told 404 Media that this broader context—with Meta heavily marketing its smart glasses while simultaneously getting into military contracting, and the Department of Homeland Security increasingly interested in facial recognition—means that seeing a CBP agent wearing Meta AI glasses in the field is alarming.

“Regardless of whether this was a personal choice by this agent or whether somehow CBP facilitated the use of these meta glasses, the fact that it was worn by this agent is disturbing,” Jeramie Scott, senior counsel and director of the Electronic Information Privacy Center told 404 Media. “Having this type of technology on a law enforcement agent starts heading toward the tactics of authoritarian governments who love to use facial recognition to try to suppress opposition.”

The fact is that Meta is at the forefront of popularizing smart glasses, which are not yet a widely adopted technology. The privacy practices and functionality of the glasses is, at the moment, largely being guided by Meta, whereas smartphones are a largely commodified technology at this point. And it’s clear that this consumer technology that the company markets on billboards as a cool way to record videos for Instagram is seen by some in law enforcement as enticing. 

“It’s clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased,” Chris Gilliard, co-director of The Critical Internet Studies Institute and author of the forthcoming book Luxury Surveillance, told 404 Media.

“The fact is when you bring powerful new surveillance capabilities into the marketplace, they can be used for a range of purposes including abusive ones. And that needs to be thought through before you bring things like that into the marketplace,” the ACLU’s Stanley said. 

Laperruque, of the CDT, said perhaps we should think about Meta smart glasses in the same way we think about other body cameras: “On the one hand, there’s a big difference between glasses with a computer built into them and a pair of Oakleys,” he said. “They’re not the only ones who make cameras you attach to your body. On the other hand, if that’s going to be the comparison, then let’s talk about this in the context of companies like Axon and other body-worn cameras.”

Update: After this article was published, the independent journalist Mel Buer (who runs the site Words About Work) reposted images she took at a July 7 immigration enforcement raid at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. In Buer's footage and photos, two additional CBP agents can be seen wearing Meta smart glasses in the back of a truck; a third is holding a camera pointed out of the back of the truck. Buer gave 404 Media permission to republish the photos; you can find her work here.

A researcher has found that more than 130,000 conversations with AI chatbots including Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, and others are discoverable on the Internet Archive, highlighting how peoples’ interactions with LLMs may be publicly archived if users are not careful with the sharing settings they may enable.

The news follows earlier findings that Google was indexing ChatGPT conversations that users had set to share, despite potentially not understanding that these chats were now viewable by anyone, and not just those they intended to share the chats with. OpenAI had also not taken steps to ensure these conversations could be indexed by Google.

With a soaring commercial core and an urban sprawl that extends past horizons in all directions, São Paulo is the largest city outside of Asia. The Brazilian metropolis is undeniably South America’s economic hub. Cutting across the center of town, Brigadeiro Faria Lima Avenue is lined with massive glass and concrete towers – home to major financial institutions – and the reimagined Praça Henrique Monteiro mixed-use tower.

Slightly set back from the especially wide artery, the 40-story edifice – now clad in a fragmented facade of more human-scale lattice work volumes – plays host to a dynamic mixed-used program. Joining a residential block and fully-fledged commercial podium is the expertly outfitted Pulso Hotel. Like most of the integrated complex, accommodations here reflect a unified, textured yet pared-back aesthetic influenced by the prolific Brazilian mid-century modern movement and its lasting impact.

The overall project is a game changer in how a single tower – what was formerly, and still is in certain cases, the grandiose testament to the might of a single business – demonstrates the potential for cohering different programmatic typologies under one roof. Local architecture firm Studio Arthur Casas opted for a unified design language across all indoor and outdoor spaces while still respecting the functional requirements of each. The unavoidable considerations of security and respite were also top of mind.

“No single volume is more valuable than another; each stands independently yet complements the others in function, with green spaces filling the gaps,” Arthur Casas says. “[Praça Henrique Monteiro} is discreet but imposing, timeless and without excess, ensuring it does not disrupt the urban landscape.”

A visual and visceral equilibrium was achieved between the use of dark, natural material and lighter, more delicate variants. A predominance of earth tones are only ever interrupted by seafoam greens, rendered as tabletops or tiled columns. While residential units are denoted from the exterior by champagne-toned finishes and glass guardrails, hotel guest rooms are identified by wooden brise soleils enclosed by operable openings. This intervention allows for privacy all while letting much needed fresh air and natural light filter through unencumbered.

“The symbiosis between architecture and nature was key in designing such a multifunctional project,” Casas adds. “It was essential to create a building connected to the city while also providing harmony and fluidity of flows, both for users and operations, which sometimes occur simultaneously.”

Accommodations come in two variations: the 344-square-foot Deluxe rooms and the 688-square-foot Suites. Though outfitted with carefully selected antiques and artworks – alongside contemporary furnishings and objects, the interiors are unquestionably homogeneous in look and feel; warm yet sophisticated; plush but not dowdy. Iconic designs by Brazilian modernist-era heavyweights such as Sergio Rodrigues, Percival Lafer, and Geraldo de Barros can be found throughout.

Like residents inhabiting another portion of the tower, hotel guests have access to an internal garden and a glass-enclosed volume – suspended 30 feet above ground – that houses other amenities. These include a large lap pool, reminiscent of the type you might find at a beach side resort. On this views-rich mezzanine level, there’s also a gym, spa, relaxation zone, changing rooms, and sauna. In the lobby, they can dine at Bistrô Charlô (offering a French menu with Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Brazilian influences); Cha Cha Boulangerie (combining café, boulangerie, rotisserie, and gourmet store) and Sarau Bar (an intimate space with weekly pocket shows).

What: Pulso Hotel
Where: São Paulo
How much: $441
Design draws: A warm-toned retreat within a multi-used São Paulo tower with sleek finishes, nods to Brazilian mid-century modernism, and ample amenities akin to a remote resort.
Book it: Pulso Hotel

Go virtually on vacation with more design destinations right here.

Photography by Fernando Guerra and Fran Parente.

Zu Aphex Twin „Korg Funk 5“ von gibt es ein neues offizielles Musikvideo, für das sich die britische Multikünstlerin Nadia Lee Cohen verantwortlich zeigt. In dem Anfang der Woche veröffentlichten Clip ist Cohen in der Hauptrolle zu sehen, außerdem hat der amerikanische Rapper JT einen Cameo-Auftritt. Cohen arbeitete bei dem Video mit Richard D. James und seinem Team von Warp Records zusammen, geschnitten wurde es von dem in Los Angeles ansässigen Filmemacher Charlie Denis. „Korg Funk 5“ erschien als Tune schon 2017 und ist eine Zusammenarbeit zwischen James und dem gleichnamigen japanischen Synthesizerhersteller. Der dreieinhalbminütige Track wurde komplett mit einem Monologue-Instrument erstellt, das von Tatsuya Takahashi, dem Leiter von Korg Berlin, entwickelt wurde – außerdem enthält er Gesang von James‘ Sohn.

(Direktlink)

Influenced by the ornate decor of Islamic mosaics and architecture, Anila Quayyum Agha creates large-scale installations that utilize the power of light and shadow to transform a room. Laser-cut steel structures, like her seminal work “Intersections,” take a simple cube as a starting point. The artist incises elaborate patterns from the surface, then situates a light inside, which casts shadows onto the surrounding walls.

Anila Quayyum Agha: Geometry of Light, which opens later this month at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, marks the first time the Pakistani-American artist’s work has been exhibited in the Pacific Northwest. Based in Indianapolis, she is known for exploring the ever-evolving relationships between cultural identity, gender, art, and spirituality.

“Through the use of light and color, the artist’s ornate designs have the ability to turn spaces into ethereal environments reminiscent of traditional sacred spaces through the use of lanterns or mashrabiya, wooden lattice screens that diffuse light, casting intricate shadows while allowing for the flow of air and creating intimacy,” the museum says.

Geometry of Light will include three of Agha’s space-transforming installations, plus a number of framed, mixed-media paper works. The exhibition runs from August 27 to April 19, 2026, and you can find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Laser-Cut Steel Forms Radiate Ornate Patterns in Anila Quayyum Agha’s Immersive Installations appeared first on Colossal.