Sunglasses were a simple product for most of their existence. Two lenses, a frame, UV protection. Then Meta put cameras in them, the smart glasses category took off, and a pair of shades became something a stranger could use to record you without your knowledge. DuckDuckGo, which has built its entire identity around the idea that your data shouldn’t be collected without consent, looked at that trend and responded with a product that refuses to participate in it: sunglasses with no camera, no microphone, no Bluetooth and no AI. They block sunlight. That’s the complete list of things they do.
Enter DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused internet search engine and web browser company. The company has partnered with eyewear company Knockaround and is now selling what it calls “anti-surveillance” sunglasses, a simple yet chic style that’s just like the sunglasses we all knew before the AI surge. They protect your eyes and don’t spy on anyone.
Yes, you can buy analog sunglasses in a million other places, including your local drugstore. But DuckDuckGo is out to make a point: AI glasses don’t respect your privacy, and the best way to protest them is not to buy them. The DuckDuckGo sunglasses even have a sassy name: Normal F* ****** Sunglasses.
“We see the new wave of AI glasses as yet another privacy-invasive technology from Big Tech, so we created a satirical campaign around them and released Normal F****** Sunglasses,” a DuckDuckGo representative said. “Why? Because ultimately, the only truly privacy-respecting glasses are ones without cameras, mics, or AI listening in on you and others you come into contact with.”
The representative noted that DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg has publicly said that “AI surveillance should be banned while there is still time.”
The matte black sunglasses come in Knockaround’s Paso Robles frame design, look a lot like classic Ray-Ban Wayfarers with a small DuckDuckGo logo, and offer polarized lenses and UV400 protection. The playful website copy declares that they include zero cameras, guarantee zero notifications, offer a seamless offline mode and infinite charge life. They sell for $35 a pair.
Humor publication The Onion published a sly post about the DuckDuckGo sunglasses, sharing comical quotes from made-up consumers. “0/10, useless for perverts,” says one fictional person. Says another, “Guess I’ll have to violate people’s privacy the old-fashioned way: From the bushes.”
The representative told us that “a significant percentage of the inventory has sold, though it’s still too early to release sales data.”
Read the full article here