Meta’s AI Glasses Facial Recognition Feature Sparks Outrage Among 75 Rights Groups

Last month, a joint investigation by two Swedish newspapers revealed that contractors in Kenya were reviewing personal videos recorded by users of Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses. The devices, capable of filming others in public without their knowledge or consent, have faced mounting backlash, with critics dubbing them “pervert glasses.”

Meta’s latest plans to integrate facial recognition technology into its hardware—part of a new feature internally named “Name Tag”—have now drawn sharp criticism from rights groups. According to Wired, a coalition of over 70 civil liberties, domestic violence, LGBTQ+, labor, and immigrant advocacy organizations has signed a petition demanding that Meta abandon the feature entirely.

In February, The New York Times first reported on the facial recognition capability, which would allow wearers to identify people and receive AI-generated information about them. An internal document obtained by the newspaper indicated that Meta intended to debut the feature at a conference for the blind. The document, as quoted by the NYT, suggested Meta believed rights groups would be too preoccupied with geopolitical crises to intervene:

“We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.”

However, recent developments have mobilized a strong opposition. In an open letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the coalition urged the company to “immediately halt and publicly disavow its plans to deploy facial recognition features on its Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses.” The groups condemned Meta for “taking advantage of rising authoritarianism and this federal administration’s disregard for the rule of law,” calling the move “vile behavior, unbecoming of a company with such a prominent role in shaping our children, our society, and our future.”

The coalition comprises 75 organizations, including the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, GLAAD, Mothers Against Media Addiction, Reproductive Equity Now, and the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts. In the letter, they stated:

“For two decades, it has been clear that the ethos of ‘move fast and break things’ exploits consumers, endangers vulnerable communities, and profoundly undermines civil rights and civil liberties. Meta’s new plans will only compound that disastrous track record.”

The coalition argued that the facial recognition feature “cannot be resolved through product design changes, opt-out mechanisms, or incremental safeguards,” particularly because bystanders in public spaces have no way to consent to being identified. The concern is heightened by the Trump administration’s militarization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has employed advanced technology to track targets. The groups warned that individuals could be subjected to silent and invisible identity verification by stalkers, scammers, abusers, federal agents, and activists across the political spectrum.