Meta is expected to launch a new camera-free smart glasses product, 'Luna', as early as October. With existing camera-equipped smart glasses embroiled in privacy-infringement controversy, it is seen as a response that strengthens voice-based artificial intelligence (AI) features instead of a camera.

On Sept. 16, foreign media reported that Meta is developing camera-free smart glasses internally under the code name Luna. Meta is known to be pushing a plan to unveil Luna at its annual Connect developer event, to be held on Sept. 23 to 24 at its Menlo Park campus in California, and to start shipping from October. The product is expected to be released in two styles, including 'Clubmaster' and 'Burbank'.

Unlike the existing Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Luna does not include a camera. Instead, it is designed to allow voice interaction through 6 built-in microphones with Meta AI and Meta's consumer AI agent, 'Muse'. A button on the side of the glasses can quickly summon Meta AI, and the speakers will use a form similar to existing Meta smart glasses. With the camera removed, the temples are also said to be thinner than in existing models, making the design closer to that of regular glasses.

The background to Meta removing the camera is the privacy-infringement controversy surrounding existing products. Ray-Ban Meta glasses with a camera even picked up the nickname "pervert glasses" online as cases continued in which some users filmed others without consent and shared the footage online. In January, cases were reported in which women were filmed without consent and posted on TikTok, and in February it became known that employees of a Kenya-based contractor reviewed sensitive videos, including toilet use or sex, filmed with the glasses.

The controversy has also led to legal and policy issues. A class action lawsuit and an investigation by the Texas attorney general proceeded, and a coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union raised issues with Meta's facial recognition plans. Some public institutions and facilities also showed moves to worry about the possibility of secret filming with camera-equipped smart glasses.

Luna removes the camera itself, blocking a major cause of the controversy in the product's structure. With no camera, it also does not provide functions to secretly film people nearby or record photos and videos. By contrast, key functions of the existing Ray-Ban Meta glasses, such as taking first-person photos and videos or using the camera to recognise the surrounding situation, cannot be used.

Luna is expected to focus on functions such as listening to music and an AI voice assistant in exchange for giving up the camera. While removing the camera could reduce some privacy concerns, it may also raise new personal data protection issues because it collects voices through microphones. Meta offering a separate line-up of camera-free products is also interpreted as a strategy to expand the market to consumers who are reluctant about camera-equipped smart glasses.