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Advocates Caution That Meta’s Latest Smart Glasses Functionality Could Endanger Privacy

Meta’s Latest Smart Glasses Feature May Be A Privacy Concern, Say Advocates

Meta has been trying to embed facial recognition technology into its social media services for a considerable period. The company intends to add this functionality to its range of smart glasses, sparking serious privacy worries. An internal memo acquired by The New York Times emphasizes the “safety and privacy dangers” tied to the initiative. On April 13, the ACLU sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, cautioning that the forthcoming facial recognition system, dubbed “Name Tag,” threatens at-risk communities, such as religious minorities, people of color, LGBTQ+ groups, and survivors of stalking or sexual harassment. In essence, anyone with a digital footprint is vulnerable, from youngsters to executives.

The ACLU is especially worried that the smart glasses, which look like typical prescription eyewear, could allow users to discreetly “monitor and profile” individuals, potentially resulting in “identify and stalk” situations. There is also concern that law enforcement agents might abuse the smart glasses to violate Fourth Amendment rights. The letter notes a 2024 occurrence where Harvard students utilized smart glasses with facial recognition to identify strangers on the Boston subway in real-time. Moreover, it highlights research indicating a rise in assaults against the LGBTQ+ population. Thankfully, there are glasses equipped with specialized lenses that can trick facial recognition systems and applications that function as anti-smart glasses radar to combat such technologies.

Meta couldn’t have chosen a worse moment, and it appears to have done so on purpose.

When companies address “safety and privacy dangers,” they usually concentrate on reducing them. This holds true for Name Tag, but rather than convincing individuals of its advantages, Meta seems to be biding its time for its critics to become preoccupied with other matters. As reported by The New York Times, Meta intends to launch Name Tag “during a fluid political atmosphere where many civil society organizations that we would anticipate criticizing [it] would have their energies directed elsewhere.”

If this assertion is correct, it implies that Meta’s leadership recognizes the credibility of the ACLU’s worries but plans to move forward with the rollout of Name Tag regardless. Ironically, the memo and various sources from The New York Times propose methods by which Meta could persuade the public of Name Tag’s advantages or at least address some of the ACLU’s concerns. For instance, Name Tag could help users who are blind or have limited vision.

Meta aims to unveil Name Tag at a “conference for the blind” before releasing it to the broader public. Also, the smart glasses are anticipated to show recording activity through a white LED on the frames, and the facial recognition functionality will reportedly restrict profiling to friends on Facebook. Despite these promises, The New York Times points out Facebook’s past issues with data privacy, suggesting that the system may not be as secure as Meta asserts.

When to Reboot Your Apple Watch

occasionally reboot your phone to provide a refresh. The same applies to your Apple Watch, even if you might not think of it as a device that requires a restart apart from when an update is being applied.

While that is the most apparent time to reboot, the system usually handles this automatically after the update installation. However, there are other instances when you may realize your Apple Watch would benefit from a restart. There’s no formal guideline on a timeline for rebooting the smartwatch. Yet, there are clear indicators suggesting it’s a suitable moment to do so.

Indicators that it’s time to restart your Apple Watch

Tim Cook’s Creations

On the latest episode of Equity, we discuss how Apple has changed since Cook became CEO in 2011, and what challenges incoming CEO John Ternus will be facing.

Utilizing a Laptop Without a Battery: Is It Feasible?

best options for 2026 — featuring enhanced battery management, when the battery reaches a full charge, the system automatically disconnects the power supply from it and channels AC power to the components. This also implies that upon disconnecting the battery, the laptop will stay powered and function normally. At least this is applicable to the majority of laptops, though not all.

Most laptops function equally well without a battery

Google’s New Gradient Icon Design is Coming to More Apps

In late 2025, Google started rolling out new icons with a gradient design. Now it seems the new look is coming to the rest of Google’s apps. 9to5Google got its hands on images of the new icons that ditch the uniform circle design that tries to cram in every color of the Google logo. In […]

Reasons Why a Fitbit is no Longer Essential

release additional Fitbits in 2026, yet provided no particular information regarding timing or what will be revealed. The firm also informed several sources that it was phasing out the Sense and Versa series.

Fitbit’s prospects with Google remain unclear