Meta could be about to introduce facial recognition to its smart glassesa very advanced feature but one that could also pose significant privacy risks.
According to The New York Times, the internal project is called Name Tag and would allow identify the people in front of the user, displaying information about them using Meta’s artificial intelligence assistant.
This feature would be available in collaboration with renowned eyewear manufacturers, such as Ray-Ban and Oakley, and would aim to make it easier to recognize people, e.g. to identify friends or known contacts.
However, there is also the possibility that technology can recognize strangersas long as their images are available on Meta platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, which raises questions about the boundaries between utility and surveillance.
Bringing this technology to a wearable device in real time poses a considerable risk and opens up a debate about privacy and security.
Furthermore, the timing chosen for this possible launch raises suspicions: according to leaked internal documents, Meta’s Reality Labs division considered that the «dynamic political environment» in the United States could be favorable to introduce the feature, suggesting that the company is evaluating not only the technical feasibility, but also the social and political reception of the project.
For now, It is not clear how exactly Name Tag will work or which people can be identified. The feature could be limited to known contacts to avoid regulatory issues, although it could also present difficulties even in that scenario.
In any case, it is a project still in development, and it is not known if it will finally materialize or when it would reach the next smart glasses from Meta.