Meta opens Connect conference as camera-free smart glasses expected

But the devices' growing popularity has sparked concern globally about their ability to covertly record people, with several UK restaurants, pubs and theaters restricting their use.

The glasses have also drawn lawsuits, including a proposed class action in California alleging Meta misled users about privacy protections and that human annotators training its AI viewed and labeled footage of people's private moments, including changing clothes, after the recordings were uploaded to its servers.

Meta, which contests the allegations and plans to defend itself, is expected to unveil the glasses without cameras in two styles, one called Clubmaster and another named Burbank, according to the Information.

Analysts expect the company to also launch a new version of its Meta Ray-Ban glasses that come with cameras, as well as a thinner and lighter pair of augmented-reality glasses that reports say is code-named Phoenix.