Meta Prepares Facial Recognition for Smart Glasses
Meta is reportedly working on adding facial recognition technology to its Ray-Ban smart glasses, reviving a concept it previously stepped away from amid privacy concerns. The planned feature, internally dubbed “Name Tag,” could allow wearers to identify people they see — with information surfaced through Meta’s built-in AI assistant.
What “Name Tag” Could Do
According to reporting based on internal documents, the Name Tag feature would use the glasses’ cameras and on-device AI to recognize someone’s face and then prompt Meta’s assistant to pull up a name and basic details. The core question for the company is how broad it should be: will the system only recognize people you already know from your contacts, or could it extend to anyone who opts in with a reference image? The decision will affect whether the feature feels like a helpful memory tool or a way to identify strangers.
Balancing Utility and Risks
Face recognition in wearable tech has serious privacy and legal challenges. Privacy advocates warn that tools like these normalize identifying people without their knowledge, especially in public settings where consent is unclear. Meta previously shut down its facial recognition system for tagging people in photos on its social platforms, partly over these concerns.
At the same time, proponents argue there could be positive use cases — such as helping people who are blind or have low vision to recognize family and friends. But critics point out that even well-intentioned features can be misused for profiling, surveillance, or harassment if not carefully controlled.
What Comes Next
Meta has not yet announced when or if Name Tag will launch, but internal discussions suggest the company is weighing both the benefits and potential backlash this technology could bring. Key questions remain about consent mechanisms, data handling, and how identifiable information will be stored and used.
