After accusations of selling ‘perv glasses,’ Meta prepares to sell a pair without a camera

After accusations of selling ‘perv glasses,’ Meta prepares to sell a pair without a camera. 25% off tickets now Back by popular demand: Save up to $300 on Disrupt Close In Brief Posted: 1:12 PM PDT · September 16, 2026 Image Credits:David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Lucas Ropek After accusations of selling ‘perv glasses,’ Meta prepares to sell a pair without a camera Meta’s camera-equipped smart glasses have proven more successful than other entrants into the market, but they have also deeply disturbed certain consumers who see them as invasive emblems of a dystopian surveillance society run amok.

What happened

Rebecca Bellan 2 hours ago In Brief After accusations of selling ‘perv glasses,’ Meta prepares to sell a pair without a camera Lucas Ropek 3 hours ago AI AI labs want in-house auditors — but maybe they should shut the front door first Tim Fernholz 5 hours ago Can Meta dodge the "pervert glasses" accusations with a new camera-free product? Now, as the company weathers complaints that it’s selling “pervert glasses,” it has reportedly decided to sell a pair that doesn’t come with integrated spy equipment.

TechGadgetsNewsMeta is reportedly ready to launch less pervy smart glassesNew camera-free frames might avoid the ‘pervert glasses’ nickname, The Information reports. Meta may be ready to reveal a new pair of smart glasses with no camera at all, amid a PR crisis for the company caused by the video recording capabilities of its flagship smart glasses. The Information reports that Meta is developing a new smart glasses model, dubbed Luna, that, sans cameras, comes equipped with a convenient system to communicate with the company’s AI chatbot and Muse, its AI consumer agent.

New camera-free frames might avoid the ‘pervert glasses’ nickname, The Information reports. by Dominic PrestonSep 16, 2026, 8:54 AM UTCImage: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty ImagesDominic Preston is a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism.

The wider picture

A new report from The Information claims the camera-free glasses, codenamed Luna, could be revealed as soon as the Meta Connect event next week. Instead of a camera, the Luna glasses will reportedly include six microphones that allow users to chat to Meta AI and the new Muse AI agent, along with speakers for audio playback. While the glasses are equipped with a recording LED, and Meta says the camera will stop functioning if this has been tampered with, the company has been caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a small group of users developing workarounds to record with the LED off.

The smart glasses industry has grown over the past few years, with Meta positioned near the front of the pack of providers. Meta’s Reality Labs, which is responsible for developing its smart glasses line, is still losing a gargantuan amount of money, as its earnings report from April revealed. Topics AI, In Brief, Meta, SMART Glasses, smartglasses October 13 – 15 San Francisco Last day to book an exhibit table is September 18. Stripping the camera out has apparently made it possible to make the glasses’ arms smaller, and closer to ordinary frames.

Meta is reportedly targeting to ship the new glasses in October in two styles: Clubmaster and Burbank.

What has been reported

It’s a delicate time for Meta’s smart glasses. The Information reports that the camera-free Luna glasses will be joined at Connect next week by new augmented reality glasses, codenamed Phoenix, capable of bringing up a virtual workspace or movie screen in AR. Removing the camera may not entirely solve Meta’s privacy woes. Meta’s new glasses could still trigger their own concerns thanks to the combination of microphones and a design that makes them harder to distinguish from regular glasses.

Dominic PrestonGadgetsMetaNewsTechWearableMost PopularMost PopularThe iPhone 18 Pro’s big camera update is all about the small gainsThe Boox Palma 3 gets stylus support and a sleek redesignMicrosoft announces Windows and Surface event for October 7thThe 2. The glasses include six built-in microphones so users can communicate with the chatbot, as well as a button on the side of the glasses that, when pressed, activates the AI system. Luna may be unveiled as soon as Meta Connect, Meta’s annual hardware/developer event happening in Menlo Park next week, the outlet notes.

TechCrunch reached out to Meta for more information.

What happens next

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Disrupt 2026: OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, and more take over 6 industry stages. However, concerns over usability, cost, and privacy have dogged the business, with many consumers still unsure of how, why, or if they should use the devices.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across techcrunch.com, theverge.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.