Meta’s new ‘Luna’ smart glasses ditch cameras amid privacy backlash: What you need to know
Meta is developing a new set of smart glasses that would be camera-free, marking a shift from its existing Ray-Ban Meta range, which has faced criticism over recording people without their consent. Codenamed “Luna”, the new glasses are expected to rely mainly on voice-based artificial intelligence rather than allowing users to take photographs or record videos, according to a report by The Information.
What will Meta’s Luna glasses offer?
The reported Luna glasses are expected to come with six microphones built into the frame. A button on the side could allow users to access Meta AI without having to use a phone.
The device is also expected to work with Meta’s new consumer AI agent, Muse, according to the report.
The new pair of glasses is expected to be launched at Meta’s developer conference, scheduled for September 23 and 24, and would go on sale in October, the report added.
Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta Platforms released its latest smart glasses as its Meta Ray-Ban Display continues to face privacy concerns. An investigation earlier this year by Swedish media outlets flagged concerns regarding user data collection through devices such as Ray-Ban Smart Glasses.
The investigation found that a Kenya-based Meta subcontractor had access to intimate and disturbing videos captured by glasses wearers. These included explicit content and even personal information such as bank account details.
Unnamed workers for the subcontractor told the publication that many of the videos they reviewed as part of a process known as data labelling, which is used to train AI models, appeared to have been captured when users were unaware they were being recorded.
How does Meta address privacy concerns?
Meta has defended the privacy safeguards built into its smart glasses. The company says a white capture LED on the glasses flashes when photographs or videos are being recorded for the user’s gallery.
On newer versions, the camera is designed to stop working if the capture LED is covered or tampered with. Ray-Ban’s India FAQ also says the LED stays active throughout recording. Users can start or stop recording using physical controls or voice commands.
Meta’s head of Instagram Adam Mosseri had said on Instagram: “AI glasses have cameras in them, and right here you can see that there’s a little light that lights up if someone is actually filming. So we can’t stop people from filming other people, but we can try to make sure that that light is on if they are filming. We now actually have the glasses basically stop working if you drill that light out, because we saw that people were trying to drill that light out We don’t want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform. So we’re trying to fight that every way we can.”
