Meta plans camera-free smart glasses amid privacy backlash

Meta Platforms ↗ 0.84% is preparing to release a camera-free pair of smart glasses this fall, according to a report from The Information published Tuesday. The move comes as the company faces a growing wave of privacy criticism over its existing Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have drawn scrutiny from consumers, school districts, and European governments over concerns about covert recording and surveillance.theinformation

A New Direction in Wearable Design

The camera-free model, internally code-named "Luna," would retain audio and AI capabilities while stripping out the cameras that have become a flashpoint in the privacy debate, Reuters reported. The device is one of four new smart glass models Meta has in development ahead of its Connect conference, scheduled for Sept. 23-24. The camera-free option appears aimed at users and environments where recording capability is unwelcome — workplaces, schools, and social settings where the technology has become what some critics have labeled "pervert glasses".reuters+3

Meta sold roughly 7 million pairs of its AI-powered glasses in 2025, but the product's commercial success has been shadowed by reports of misuse. Women have described being covertly filmed on dates and in public, with footage appearing on social media without their knowledge or consent. Aftermarket vendors have sold stickers and accessories designed to obscure the glasses' recording indicator light, directly undermining the privacy safeguard Meta built into the hardware.streamlinefeed+1

Schools and Governments Move to Restrict the Technology

Institutional responses are accelerating. Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts unanimously voted to ban smart glasses and other wearable recording devices across the district, a measure that took effect earlier this month. School Committee member Arjun K. Jaikumar said the policy was intended to be "precautionary" before problems emerge, citing concerns about surreptitious recording and academic dishonesty.thecrimson

Cambridge is not alone. Oslo banned smart glasses in schools in early September, with Norwegian officials warning against children becoming "extras in Meta's data collection". In the United Kingdom, a parliamentary petition calling for a ban on the sale of recording-capable smart glasses has gathered more than 9,400 signatures. A European lawmaker has asked the European Commission whether the glasses comply with EU data protection rules.minutemirror+2

Industry Ripple Effects

The backlash is shaping competitors' strategies. Apple ↘ 0.52% has reportedly delayed its own smart glasses launch in part to build stronger privacy protections, with Bloomberg reporting that the company is considering limiting or removing video-recording capabilities entirely. Meta, for its part, confirmed on Sept. 1 that it had remotely disabled cameras on glasses where owners had physically tampered with the recording indicator light.mashable+1

"The development of these technologies is way more rapid than we are at developing policy around it," Cambridge School Committee member Luisa de Paula Santos said. "It's our responsibility to protect the safety of kids and staff".thecrimson