DuckDuckGo Trolls Meta With 'Anti-Surveillance' Sunglasses

Sunglasses provide protection for your eyes from the harsh rays of the sun, and If you want to record a video, you have a smartphone in your pocket. Then Meta got the idea to combine the two into its smart sunglasses. In a marketing stunt meant to make fun of those smart glasses with video cameras, the company behind the DuckDuckGo search engine has released its own "smart" sunglasses.

A promotional video posted to DuckDuckGo's social media reveals a supposedly remarkable invention called sunglasses. Instead of featuring AI, cameras, and technology that can record and submit data to the cloud, DuckDuckGo's sunglasses are designed to block the sun. The revolutionary idea is also priced rather reasonably at $35. That's much lower when compared to Meta's Ray-Ban line of smart sunglasses that can go for up to around $459. The DuckDuckGo sunglasses even feature small icons on them that show they don't feature Wi-Fi, a camera, or notifications.

DuckDuckGo's brand of sunglasses are called the DuckDuckGo Paso Robles. They're available to purchase online, and people have actually bought so many they've sold out, according to a social media post. The video posted to DuckDuckGo's YouTube channel has more than 250,000 views and over 1,100 comments from people sharing how much they enjoy the idea, and that they've actually bought some themselves.

Privacy has been a concern for many who fear that Meta glasses can record anytime without them being aware. Even with a light that shows the smart glasses are in the process of recording, hackers are finding a way to turn the function off, preventing others from seeing the light. That has led Meta to disable cameras for smart glass modders tampering with the privacy light.

The concern about being recorded without consent and without knowledge has even led companies to ban Meta's smart glasses from being worn. In an effort to reduce and halt an invasion of guest and customer privacy inside public places, Meta's series of smart glasses are no longer being allowed inside certain restaurants.

DuckDuckGo seemingly sought to capture the attention of Meta's privacy concerns with its video showcasing its normal sunglasses. It was such an interesting promotion that even infamous satirical website The Onion posted an article and featured DuckDuckGo on its social media. DuckDuckGo is planning on releasing more of its sunglasses later, as they've captured the public's imagination, but the glasses aren't the only thing people are interested in. They're also flocking to DuckDuckGo's search engine.

A post by DuckDuckGo on social media proclaimed that people are leaving Google's search engine for theirs. In a week-long timespan, DuckDuckGo saw its installs increase by 30%, claiming that it was due to people becoming fed up with Google's increasing use of AI throughout its ecosystem.

The sunglasses by DuckDuckGo may have started out as a joke about how ridiculous people find Meta's smart sunglasses, but they're a hot topic in this age of rising AI. This increased use of AI in tech is just one of the reasons that people are switching search engines and ditching Google search.

DuckDuckGo is not only focused on not using AI in its "smart" sunglasses, but also on its website. Reports say that its site has seen an uptick in visitors as well, with an increase of around 22.7% week-to-week. Installs on Apple's iOS devices were also higher week-over-week with peak growth coming in at 69.9%. DuckDuckGo's marketing looks to be effective, as more people flock to its search engine and purchase its sunglasses. Though, it's unclear if sunglasses without AI, notifications, and a camera will ever fully catch on.