Tell Meta: No Creepy Facial Recognition Tech for AI Glasses

More than 75 civil rights organizations just sounded the alarm on Meta’s plan to put facial recognition into AI-powered glasses — and they’re warning it could unleash a surveillance nightmare.

In a public letter, groups including the ACLU are urging Meta to abandon efforts to add facial recognition capabilities to its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. The concern is simple: if this technology moves forward, anyone wearing these glasses could potentially identify strangers in real time — pulling up names, personal details, or online profiles without consent.

Privacy advocates say the risks are enormous. "The American people have not consented to this massive invasion of privacy," said Kade Crockford, director of technology and justice programs at the ACLU of Massachusetts. "Stalkers and scammers would have a field day with this technology. Federal agents could use it to harass and intimidate their critics. It’s dangerous and dystopian, and Meta must disavow it."

Tell Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg: commit now to banning facial recognition from all smart glasses and wearable devices.

Facial recognition is already controversial for a reason. It has been linked to wrongful arrests, racial bias, and abuse by governments and corporations alike. Embedding it into everyday consumer products would take those risks to a whole new level — turning ordinary interactions into opportunities for surveillance, tracking, and exploitation.

Meta has backed down before. After widespread public backlash, the company shut down its facial recognition system on Facebook. That shows pressure works — and it can work again before this technology spreads.

We should be able to walk down the street, sit in a café, or attend a protest without worrying that a stranger’s glasses can identify us instantly. That basic expectation of privacy is now at risk.

Add your name now and demand Meta abandon facial recognition in its AI glasses before this dangerous technology becomes the new normal.

The petition to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reads: "Publicly commit to banning facial recognition technology from all Meta smart glasses and wearable devices, and pledge not to develop or deploy tools that allow users to identify or track people without their knowledge or consent."