DuckDuckGo claims its anti-pervert sunglasses are the real deal
Turns out “normal” sunnies are this season’s must-haves
Image: DuckDuckGo/ Knockaround
- DuckDuckGo mocks Meta with "anti-pervert" shades – a $35 pair with no camera, mic, AI, or electronics, made with Knockaround.
- Direct dig at Meta's Ray-Bans ($299+), nicknamed "pervert glasses" after covert filming reports sparked a privacy backlash.
- DuckDuckGo confirmed on X the collab is real, not a joke.
- Rides anti-big-tech wave – DuckDuckGo installs rose up to 30% in May, and çbanned Meta's glasses this week.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Not content with offering an alternative search tool to Google, privacy-focused DuckDuckGo is now railing against Meta by collaborating with a specs firm on a pair of “anti-surveillance” glasses.
Since Meta launched its AI-powered Ray-Bans, which can record video and audio as well as make calls, there’s been a growing privacy backlash against the specs, with many dubbing them “pervert” glasses after they were reportedly used to film people without their consent.
It has led to many users not daring to wear their $299 sunnies in public, through fear of being stigmatized, even if all they want to do is capture content, make calls, or listen to music.
Never one to miss an opportunity to take a public swipe at big tech, the alternative search engine DuckDuckGo has now launched a new range of glasses in collaboration with the San Diego firm Knockaround, known for its stylish yet affordable shades.
Normal F***ing Sunglasses
The twist: with their permanent offline mode, zero cameras and mics, no AI or electronics of any kind, the “California cool” Paso Robles have been hailed as "the world's most innovative anti-surveillance sunglasses," AKA "Normal F***ing Sunglasses” according to Knockaround’s website.
“No camera, no microphone, no AI, no battery, no electronics of any kind. Just a beautifully crafted pair of matte black sunglasses with a glossy DuckDuckGo logo, designed to block the sun and never send data to the cloud."Knockaround's glasses description
The plastic, non-pervert glasses are also a bargain at $35, compared to Meta's so-called “pervert” glasses, which start at a far steeper $299.
Knockaround collab is real
While the company is obviously using satire to make a privacy point, DuckDuckGo had to take to social media to assure people that this collaboration was the real deal.
"Yes, these are actually real," it said in a recent X post.
The news certainly seemed to go down well with some users.
“They block the sun too???” one poster joked.
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Another commenter noted: “Finally sunglasses that respect my privacy more than my ex does.”
Even hackers have banned Meta’s creepy recording glasses from their annual Vegas event, DEF CON, this week.
DuckDuckGo is capitalizing on a growing anti-big tech, anti-AI sentiment. In May, installs of the Google alternative surged by up to 30% after the search giant was accused of “force-feeding” AI on users after it automated AI summaries in its search results.
