Meta Explores Facial Recognition for Smart Glasses
Meta is considering facial recognition for smart glasses, raising significant questions about privacy and identity.
According to reports from the New York Times – citing internal sources – Meta is considering the introduction of facial recognition technology in the upcoming versions of its smart glasses, developed in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica.
At first glance, this news seems to come straight out of an episode of Black Mirror: people looking into each other's eyes while an invisible system provides names, personal information, and social connections in real time. However, this is not fiction, but a feature under consideration.
The technology, internally referred to by the codename "Name Tag," would allow the wearer to identify passersby – or their conversation partners – simply by framing them with the integrated cameras in the eyewear.
Through the Meta AI digital assistant, the system could cross-reference captured images with data available on the group's platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, providing real-time information associated with the recognized person's profile.
In the television series, this type of technology is often portrayed as a natural extension of social media into daily life, blurring – almost imperceptibly – the line between public space and digital identity. This is precisely what makes the news intriguing: what seemed dystopian just a few years ago is now being discussed as a possible product evolution.
Currently, these are merely hypotheses under study, but the potential introduction of such a feature would raise significant questions regarding privacy, consent, and the use of personal data in public spaces. The question, more than technological, becomes cultural: