DuckDuckGo Mocks Meta with Tech-Free Anti-Surveillance Glasses

Meta’s $299 smart glasses, marketed with celebrity endorsements, have earned the derogatory moniker "pervert glasses" from critics. The hardware’s built-in cameras, which some users have reportedly modified to bypass recording indicators, have led to instances where strangers were filmed without consent. Reports indicate that footage captured by the devices—including private sexual encounters—has been accessed by third-party contractors during AI training, fueling concerns about the normalization of constant surveillance.

Beyond the recording capabilities, internal documents previously revealed Meta’s exploration of facial recognition features. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have warned that such tools could allow users to identify strangers at sensitive locations, including medical clinics and protests. While Meta rolled back these specific plans following public pressure, the controversy has sparked calls for bans in the US and Europe. In London, activists have amplified this unease through a viral campaign featuring imagery of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, framing the product as a tool for abusers. In response, DuckDuckGo’s marketing team leaned into the absurdity of the current tech landscape, boasting that their glasses are "guaranteed to never record nude videos of you and send them to random people."