Facebook's parent company has applied to patent "smart glasses" which use facial analysis to identify people. The glasses would also analyze facial expressions and automatically make images or videos of "highlights" of in-person meetings.

While many patents never make it past the concept stage, this looks like a serious proposition given Meta already manufacturers Ray-Ban branded glasses which contain cameras and can connect to the Internet.

Earlier this year it briefly updated them with code that would let the glasses automatically identify people by comparing them to image databases (such as, well, the millions of images of people uploaded to Facebook).

The code was never activated and was removed after an immediate backlash from critics who warned it could be used to identify and harass people for political or more creepy purposes. (Source: cnet.com)

Focusing on Friends

Now the patent application suggests Meta does want to use facial recognition, but this time to identify friends and other contacts. The idea is that it could automatically record photos and clips of friends while ignoring or blurring out people the user either doesn't know or doesn't have a strong relationship with. For example, if a user went to a workplace dinner with a spouse, the camera might automatically take photos of their spouse but not of work colleagues.

The patent also suggests the system could take into account the perceived eye gaze, meaning who the glasses were most often pointed at and, by implication, who the user was interested in. (In the work dinner example, that could be problematic if that person was not the user's spouse).

Reading the Room

Facial expression could also play a role, with the camera automatically taking images, for example if a group was laughing.

While the patent doesn't do much to allay fears that the tech could be misused for creepy purposes, Meta gives example of what it considers valid and helpful uses. For example, it suggests that when the user meets somebody they vaguely recognize but can't place, the glasses could tell them if and where they have met before. (Source: tomsguide.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Would you feel comfortable wearing glasses that automatically record your friends? Do you think the benefits of facial recognition outweigh the privacy risks? How would you react if a colleague wore these smart glasses to a workplace dinner?