Quick Summary
Meta's smart glasses could soon have a new feature.
But it won't be good news for those already concerned with privacy.
Smart Glasses may well be cutting edge tech, but they're also at the centre of a growing wave of concerns over privacy. And that's not about to get any less controversial, as new information is coming to light about a feature baked into the devices with alarming potential.
Dubbed NameTag, the software is intended to use AI to recognise faces as seen through the cameras on the glasses. The news comes from Wired, which has found details as part of a deep dive into the Meta AI app.
Perhaps most concerningly, the report suggests that parts of that code had been added from as early as January. That seems at loggerheads with quotes from Meta in April, where it suggested that any such roll out would take "a very thoughtful approach."
Now, it's worth being really clear here – the feature is not currently enabled. Instead, it's a dormant piece of code sat in the back end.
So, the real question is whether or not this is a good thing. I can certainly see the lighter side – I'm positively dreadful at remembering names, and getting a little reminder of the name of someone I've only met once or twice before would be really handy on trips and networking events.
But there's a much more sinister potential side to this, and it's really hard to ignore. Let's be frank – this technology would allow those with bad intentions (stalkers or other abusers) log faces and use them to identify strangers in public places.
The Wired report goes on to suggest that the system pulls faceprints from Meta's servers, which will almost certainly raise further alarms. Is it possible that face data from its other platforms – the brand owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – could be used in training this system?
This is certainly going to be an interesting launch...
