Civil Rights Groups Demand Meta Halt Facial Recognition Smart Glasses Plans

More than 70 civil liberties organizations are calling on Meta to abandon plans to integrate facial recognition technology into its smart glasses lineup, citing what they describe as fundamental threats to privacy and civil liberties. The coalition, which includes the ACLU and Fight for the Future, signed a letter urging Meta to "immediately halt and publicly disavow" its development of facial recognition features for Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. The feature is reportedly known internally as "Name Tag" and could launch as soon as this year. According to the letter, the technology would enable recognition of people connected to Meta platforms or with accounts on services like Instagram. The organizations argue this capability could empower predators and stalkers while creating surveillance infrastructure. "Facial recognition technology built into inconspicuous consumer eyewear represents a serious threat to privacy and civil liberties for every member of our society," the letter states. It specifically names vulnerable groups including domestic violence survivors, religious minorities, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, women and children. The coalition asserts that design changes or opt-out mechanisms cannot adequately address these concerns. They maintain Meta cannot be trusted to safely incorporate facial recognition technology into consumer devices. The letter also calls on Meta to stop opposing privacy legislation that would require explicit user consent before collecting or processing biometric data. Some state privacy laws already prohibit companies from gathering such data without affirmative consent. Meta has not publicly commented on the organizations' demands. The company faces increasing scrutiny over the privacy implications of wearable technology as it expands its smart glasses offerings.