Meta Preps a Camera-Free Smart Glasses Amid Surveillance Scandal

Meta is ready to show off new smart glasses with no camera at all, according to The Information. The device, code-named Luna, could be announced as early as the Meta Connect conference next week.

Instead of a camera, sources say, Luna will get six microphones for talking to the Meta AI assistant and the new Muse AI agent, along with speakers for playing audio. Dropping the camera made it possible to slim down the temples and bring the glasses closer to the look of an ordinary frame. Meta is aiming to start shipping as early as October — in two versions, Clubmaster and Burbank.

Why go camera-free

The timing is delicate for Meta. The company's current smart glasses are in demand, but it's the camera that touched off a wave of discontent over privacy threats. Some users have secretly filmed the people around them, at times deliberately following individuals for the sake of viral clips on social media. As a result, the glasses have been banned in all sorts of places — from New York courtrooms to Britain's largest pub chain.

The glasses come with an LED that signals recording, and Meta insists the camera stops working if you try to disable that indicator. But the company has found itself in a game of cat and mouse: a small group of enthusiasts keeps hunting for ways to film with the LED switched off.

What else is coming

According to The Information, alongside Luna, Connect will also see the debut of augmented-reality glasses code-named Phoenix. They will be able to project a virtual workspace in front of the user, or a screen for watching movies, and are expected to launch in 2027. The device continues the line of the AR glasses concept shown back in 2024.

Even so, ditching the camera is hardly going to lay all the privacy questions to rest. The recently unveiled new Apple Watch also drew criticism over its always-on audio recording. The combination of microphones and a design hard to tell apart from ordinary glasses is capable of breeding concerns of its own. And when it comes to trust, Meta rarely gets the benefit of the doubt.

Source: The Verge