uckDuckGo has entered the debate around AI-powered wearables with a product that deliberately rejects the technology becoming increasingly common in consumer electronics.
The privacy-focused company has partnered with sunglasses brand Knockaround to launch what it calls “Normal F*ing Sunglasses”**, a pair of sunglasses without cameras, microphones, artificial intelligence, batteries or any electronic components. Rather than competing with Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses, the product is designed to mock them.
The launch comes as Meta’s wearable devices continue to face criticism over privacy concerns. Equipped with built-in cameras and AI features, the glasses have been at the centre of reports of users secretly recording strangers in public. The backlash has even led to the devices being labelled “pervert glasses” in online discussions, with some owners saying they have become reluctant to wear them in public because of the stigma associated with the product.
DuckDuckGo has built its campaign around those concerns. Knockaround describes the sunglasses as “the world’s most innovative anti-surveillance sunglasses”, highlighting that they cannot record conversations, capture images, collect user data or upload information to the cloud. Instead of promoting new AI features, the campaign presents the absence of technology as its biggest advantage.
The sunglasses are priced at $35, compared with $299 for Meta’s AI smart glasses. According to DuckDuckGo, a significant portion of the initial inventory has already been sold.
While clearly a marketing campaign, the launch also reflects how privacy has become a competitive battleground in consumer technology. As companies continue to embed AI and cameras into everyday products, DuckDuckGo is betting that some consumers are looking for the opposite: devices that perform a single purpose without collecting data or making their users feel like they are carrying a surveillance tool.
