Advocacy Groups Demand Meta Drop Facial Recognition for Smart Glasses
More than 70 advocacy groups, including the ACLU and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, have called on Meta to halt its plans to incorporate facial recognition in Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses, citing significant privacy concerns. Internal documents obtained by The New York Times and Wired indicate that Meta is working on a feature named 'Name Tag' designed to recognize individuals through its AI assistant. The coalition warns that this could allow stalkers and federal agents to identify people without their permission, connecting them to online databases. Kade Crockford from the ACLU of Massachusetts emphasized that this technology could lead to harassment. The organizations stress that preventing such scenarios is vital for maintaining a free and secure society, urging Meta to reconsider.
Key facts
- Over 70 advocacy organizations are urging Meta to halt facial recognition plans for smart glasses
- The coalition includes ACLU, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Fight for the Future, Access Now, and Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Internal memos reported by The New York Times and Wired reveal Meta's development of 'Name Tag' feature
- The feature would use Meta's AI assistant to identify people in the wearer's field of view
- Engineers considered versions recognizing Meta-connected individuals or anyone with public social media accounts
- Organizations warn the technology could enable stalkers, abusers, and federal agents to identify strangers
- The technology could identify people at protests, medical clinics, and businesses
- Kade Crockford of ACLU Massachusetts stated stalkers and scammers 'would have a field day with this technology'
Entities
Institutions
- Meta
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Electronic Privacy Information Center
- Fight for the Future
- Access Now
- Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- The New York Times
- Wired
- ACLU of Massachusetts
- ACLU
- EPIC