New Facebook sunglasses are a dream come true for influencers, spies, and stalkers

Mason, Ohio - Take the next exit on your right and activate your sneaky spy sunglasses with a voice command. Your destination is all around you. Welcome to Dystopia.

Future tech available now, but will Ray Ban's sunglasses help or harm privacy? (stock image)
Future tech available now, but will Ray Ban's sunglasses help or harm privacy? (stock image)  © 123rf/terovesalainen

Facebook's latest coup isn't only about cutting-edge technology: its first generation of "smart glasses" is trying to be a fashion statement as well, with the help of a partnership with Ray-Ban.

Unlike the failed experiment that was Google Glass, Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories glasses don't include their own screen for looking at notifications or navigation.

Instead, the frame houses two speakers for making calls and two front-facing 5-megapixel cameras for recording videos and pictures.

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What is stylish to Facebook might be a potentially creepy piece of tech to others, and a tap on a button on the frame is all that is needed to take photos or record videos.

Does this mean we should soon assume anyone wearing sunglasses could be posting footage of us on Facebook?

The social media giant says that for privacy reasons, a small white LED next to the camera will light up when it’s taking a photo or video.

"That's more than any smartphone does," says Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Then again, not everyone will know what a white LED on a pair of sunglasses means.

While the glasses focus on recording images, the speakers can also play sound from a smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing you to take calls and listen to podcasts with a little more style, Zuckerberg announced on Thursday.

Pictures and videos can be synchronized with the Facebook View app and shared on social media. But they can also be stored in the phone’s gallery and used on other apps like Twitter and Snapchat.

Alternatively, you can tell your glasses what do do using a voice command like, "Hey Facebook, take a video."

Ray-Ban Stories will initially be only available in the US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and the UK for about $300.

Cover photo: 123rf/terovesalainen

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