In attempt to make a statement about the rise of AI's prevalence, a search engine has released "the world's most innovative anti-surveillance sunglasses."
In late July, the search engine DuckDuckGo, in collaboration with San Diego-based sunglasses company Knockaround, released Normal F---ing Sunglasses. The black sunglasses are described on the Knockaround website as having, "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."
DuckDuckGo and Knockaround have released "normal" sunglasses, a jab at trendy smart glasses. As of Aug. 6, the glasses are available for pre-order for $35.
Within a week of their launch the sunglasses sold out, DuckDuckGo told USA Today. The company did not confirm how many pairs of sunglasses were initially sold, but on Aug. 5, the glasses were made available to preorder on the Knockaround website.
The Normal sunglasses came shortly after Meta released a new line of Meta Glasses. Starting at $299 a pair, the glasses are described as serving as a liaison between the natural world and the World Wide Web, providing users with more opportunities for AI assistance.
People are also reading…
Smart glasses have received widespread backlash lately as worries mount about wearers potentially recording others without their knowledge. In April, more than 75 advocacy groups issued a letter saying smart glasses represent a "dystopian privacy invasion” that is “a serious threat to privacy and civil liberties for every member of our society."
What makes the DuckDuckGo sunglasses special?
The DuckDuckGo sunglasses are really just ... normal sunglasses. For those who care about the quality of their sunglasses though, here are some of the specs:
Polarized lenses
Full UV400 protection
FDA-compliant impact-resistant lenses
How much do the DuckDuckGo sunglasses cost?
The DuckDuckGo and Knockaround sunglasses are $35.
How to buy DuckDuckGo sunglasses
The DuckDuckGo sunglasses can be preordered on the Knockaround website for $35. Preorders for the glasses are expected to ship between Nov. 19 and Nov. 30, according to the Knockaround website.
Internet reacts to DuckDuckGo sunglasses
Social media videos promoting the normal sunglasses have attracted attention from those anti-AI audiences.
"Never thought that we could do an advertisement selling simplicity because there’s no simplicity anymore. Pure genius," one Instagram user commented on a DuckDuckGo and Knockaround post promoting the product. Another Instagram user said: "An oasis of logic in an desert of madness! This ad is (fire emoji)."
Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY
