A patent application filed by Meta in February shows the company is still working on facial recognition for smart glasses, months after the idea triggered waves of backlash.

The application, first spotted by Patentlyze, pairs AI-driven facial recognition with smart glasses so the wearer can identify people and surface details about them while shooting media. Patent filings do not guarantee consumer features, but this one lands after a string of disclosures showing Meta has repeatedly explored the technology for its wearables.

In February, reports surfaced of an internal feature called Name Tag that could identify people in real time. June brought another twist: researchers discovered face-recognition code sitting unused inside the Meta AI app — components that could detect faces and turn them into biometric data. Meta stripped the code out and insisted no such feature ever shipped. Around the same time, the company was revealed to have licensed facial recognition tech from Rank One Computing, whose customers include US military and law enforcement agencies.

The patent has drawn immediate criticism. Criticism came quickly from the Center for Democracy and Technology, which told CNET the tech could be exploited in ways that endanger vulnerable people — stalking and domestic violence victims among them.

The worry has trailed Meta’s wearables all year: because the frames look like normal glasses, nobody nearby can tell a casual glance from a quiet identification. Whether the patent ever reaches a product, the filing makes clear the exploration is not over.

Source: Digital Trends