Meta is reportedly contemplating the introduction of a facial recognition feature for its smart glasses, strategically timing the launch during what an internal memo describes as a "dynamic political environment." This internal document, reviewed by The New York Times, suggests Meta aims to unveil the feature when civil society groups, typically critical of such technologies, may have their resources diverted to other pressing concerns.
The document, dating back to last May, reportedly details a new "Name Tag" feature designed to enable smart glasses wearers to identify individuals through Meta's integrated AI assistant. While initial plans, as reported by The New York Times, involved a launch at a conference for the blind before a broader release, this strategy did not materialize. Meta, known for its smart glasses collaborations with Ray-Ban and Oakley, is now reportedly planning to launch this feature as early as this year.
Sources indicate to The Times that this facial recognition technology would not permit universal identification of everyone a wearer encounters. Instead, Meta is reportedly exploring its use to identify individuals with whom the wearer is connected on one of Meta's platforms. Furthermore, the company is also considering the identification of people unknown to the user but who maintain a public account on a Meta platform, such as Instagram.
Meta has previously faced legal challenges concerning its use of facial recognition. After introducing a facial recognition-based photo tagging capability on Facebook in 2017, the company ceased its use of the technology in 2021. However, recent reports suggest Meta is once again considering engagement with facial recognition. Last year, The Information reported that Meta's new AI glasses might include an always-on "super-sensing" mode, utilizing built-in cameras to monitor daily activities and recognize individuals by name. The company has also updated its privacy policy, which now states that "Meta AI with camera use is always enabled on your glasses unless you turn off ‘Hey Meta.’"
A glimpse into the potential future of facial recognition on Meta glasses emerged in 2024, when two Harvard students developed a project that allowed Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses wearers to identify faces and leverage public databases to retrieve names, addresses, phone numbers, and even relatives.
While facial identification features can offer significant benefits, particularly for individuals who are blind or have low vision, linking them to extensive social networks or broader databases could introduce substantial security and privacy risks. For instance, Envision partnered with Solos to release glasses that use AI to assist blind or low-vision users in recognizing others, but only after the wearer captures an image and manually assigns a name within the app, according to Envision's website.
Addressing these developments, Meta spokesperson Erin Logan stated to The Verge, “We’re building products that help millions of people connect and enrich their lives. While we frequently hear about the interest in this type of feature — and some products already exist in the market — we’re still thinking through options and will take a thoughtful approach if and before we roll anything out.”
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