“Red Line” AI Meta Glasses!

Los Angeles, US, Apr 13 (EFE).-

A coalition of 75 organizations led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged Meta on Monday to rescind its plan to equip its artificial intelligence glasses with facial recognition technology, deeming it a “red line” and an “unacceptable threat” to privacy and freedom.

In a letter, the 75 organizations raised serious concerns about the impact of this technology on vulnerable populations, including people of color, women, children, immigrants, religious minorities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

They also warned that Meta’s glasses could be used to identify and harass corporate executives and public employees.

Specifically, the coalition urged Meta to immediately halt and publicly repudiate its plans to equip its Ray-Ban and Oakley brand glasses with facial recognition technology.

The organizations warn that glasses equipped with this technology would allow anyone wearing them to identify any stranger nearby by name, including at protests, medical clinics, and retail establishments.

They also warn that the collected information could be linked to databases containing a wealth of sensitive data about the identified person’s employment, habits, health, and relationships.

Cody Venzke, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, stated in a press release that the technology is “inherently invasive and unethical.”

“The dangers are not hypothetical — they are very real, as we have seen from the deployment of facial recognition in other contexts. Embedding this technology in consumer eyewear would vastly increase the risk of harm to individuals, families, and our democracy itself,” he added.

Kade Crockford, director of technology and justice programs at the ACLU of Massachusetts, warned that “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.” EFE

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