We can’t just change the definition of ‘recording’

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/268639_Meta_Adventurer_glasses_AKrales_0005.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph">With AI hardware, tech companies are pushing the definition of what does and <em>doesn't</em> constitute a recording. For most of gadget history, it'd be reasonable to assume that a device with a microphone or camera is either recording you or it isn't; it's either on or off, without much gray area. Microphones capture sound. Cameras capture images. That data is saved onto a device. Sometimes, it's also sent to the cloud - hopefully with end-to-end encryption - for processing. That data is a preserved instant in time and is therefore a recording. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Perhaps not anymore. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Last week, <em>Bloomberg</em>'s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is working on <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1003877/apple-security-camera-no-video">a smart hom …</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/column/1005697/we-cant-just-change-the-definition-of-recording">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>