Overview
- A coalition of civil liberties and safety organizations sent a letter Monday urging Meta to abandon a planned facial recognition feature for its smart glasses.
- Reports say the unannounced tool, internally called Name Tag, would let wearers pull up a person’s identity through the glasses’ AI, with engineers weighing a version limited to contacts and a broader mode for public Instagram or other Meta accounts.
- The letter also presses Meta to disclose any stalking or abuse cases tied to its wearables, to reveal talks with federal agencies such as ICE and CBP, and to consult independent experts before adding biometric ID to consumer devices.
- Meta said competitors offer such products and it does not, adding that any release would be approached thoughtfully, while coverage has reported the company is still considering a launch this year.
- Scrutiny is elevated by Meta’s 2021 shutdown of Facebook’s photo-tagging system and billions paid in biometric and privacy settlements, as well as recent reporting that contractors in Kenya viewed videos recorded by Ray‑Ban AI glasses.