Meta plans ’Name Tag’ facial recognition for Ray‑Ban and Oakley smart glasses

Meta is reviving development of a facial‑recognition feature called "Name Tag" for its Ray‑Ban and Oakley smart glasses, with reports saying a consumer release could arrive as early as 2026. Name Tag would let the glasses’ AI assistant identify people who are already in a user’s Meta contacts or who maintain public profiles on services such as Instagram; Meta says it would not mass‑scan or identify every person in view. The company previously shut down Facebook’s photo‑tagging facial recognition in 2021 after regulatory pressure and faces ongoing legal scrutiny over biometric data. Internal planning considered an accessibility‑first controlled rollout for visually impaired users but shifted toward a broader consumer launch. Advances in on‑device AI, chip efficiency and a stronger hardware base are cited as technical enablers. Privacy and regulatory concerns remain central: lack of consent, biometric data security, potential function creep toward surveillance or law‑enforcement use, and chilling effects on public behaviour. The decision is likely to spur regulatory scrutiny, activist opposition and wider public debate about ambient AI, consumer biometric data and privacy. Keywords: Meta facial recognition, smart glasses, Name Tag, Ray‑Ban, Oakley, AI assistant, Instagram, privacy, biometric regulation.