# Meta's smart glasses went from hit to pariah

> Public backlash over privacy and abuse has forced Meta to develop a camera-free version of its controversial smart glasses.
- Title: Meta's smart glasses went from hit to pariah · Futurism
- Summary: Public backlash over privacy and abuse has forced Meta to develop a camera-free version of its controversial smart glasses. A product can lose public trust…
- Keywords: meta, smart glasses, privacy concerns, public backlash, mark zuckerberg, camera removal, ai assistant, facial recognition, class action lawsuit, consumer product, project luna, science
- Source: Futurism — https://futurism.com/future-society/zuckerberg-pervert-glasses-shamed-meta-no-camera
- Author: Victor Tangermann
- Published: 2026-09-16T19:50:01+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: meta, smart glasses, privacy concerns, public backlash, mark zuckerberg, camera removal, ai assistant, facial recognition, class action lawsuit, consumer product, project luna, science
## From bestseller to pariah
Meta's camera-equipped smart glasses went from a well-reviewed hit product to widely-reviled privacy tool in record time, with owners now too afraid to wear them in public.

> turned from a lucrative and well-reviewed consumer product into a widely-reviled and privacy-infringing tool of abuse
## Meta's damage control efforts
Meta is desperately trying to implement a kill switch and remotely bricking glasses owned by high-profile users to stop the negative publicity.
## Camera-free version coming
Meta is developing a camera-free model called Luna, set to launch later this year, signaling the company is losing the battle for public opinion.
## Microphones still raise concerns
Luna will feature six microphones for AI interaction, but they'll also pick up ambient audio from bystanders who may not know they're being recorded.
## Facial recognition lawsuit filed
Two families filed a class action lawsuit claiming Meta extracted biometric data from Instagram and Facebook photos to build a face-recognition system for the glasses.
## The real test ahead
Luna will reveal whether buyers want the glasses for AI conversation or for the camera's first-person recording capability that enabled the abuse.
## Key takeaway

A product can lose public trust so quickly that the company behind it must fundamentally redesign it to survive.