The Menlo Park‑based company is set to introduce the Clubmaster and Burbank styles, both stripped of built‑in cameras, at the annual Connect event scheduled for Sept. 23. The announcement comes as regulators and the public grow uneasy about AI‑enabled eyewear that can record people without consent.
Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has driven sales of its Ray‑Ban smart glasses to more than 7 million units in 2025, giving the firm a dominant share of a market where its main rivals are Chinese manufacturers such as RayNeo and Xiaomi.
Despite the commercial success, the devices have sparked global backlash. In the United Kingdom, a number of restaurants, pubs and theatres have begun restricting the use of smart glasses over fears they could be used to surreptitiously capture video or audio.
The privacy debate intensified after a proposed class‑action lawsuit was filed in California, alleging that Meta misled users about how their data is protected and that human annotators reviewing uploaded footage viewed and labelled private moments, including people changing clothes. Meta has denied the allegations and said it will defend itself in court.
Analysts say Meta is also expected to launch a new camera‑enabled version of its Ray‑Ban glasses and a thinner, lighter augmented‑reality pair codenamed “Phoenix.” The Phoenix model would retain cameras, raising questions about whether removing cameras from the Clubmaster and Burbank will be enough to allay privacy worries.
Industry observers note that while eliminating cameras may address visual‑recording concerns, microphones and audio capture could still trigger similar objections. Moreover, without a heads‑up display, the camera‑free glasses risk being perceived as little more than voice‑controlled earbuds, potentially weakening consumer demand.