Meta is considering adding facial recognition technology to its smart glasses as early as this year, according to a recent report by The New York Times.

The feature, internally referred to as “Name Tag”, would allow wearers to identify people in their field of view and retrieve information about them through Meta’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The report cautioned that the company’s plans could still change, noting that executives have been debating since early last year how to introduce a tool that carries significant safety and privacy risks.

According to an internal memo cited in the report, Meta had initially planned to test the feature with attendees at a conference for visually impaired people before a broader release, but ultimately did not proceed with that plan. The memo also suggested that company officials believed the current political climate in the United States might reduce scrutiny from civil society groups that might otherwise criticise the technology.

Meta previously explored incorporating facial recognition into the first version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021 but abandoned the effort, citing technical hurdles and ethical considerations. The renewed interest comes as the company has seen unexpected commercial success with its smart glasses and as relations between major technology firms and the US government have evolved.

Last year, The Information reported that Meta’s next-generation AI glasses might include an always-on “super-sensing” mode, using embedded cameras to monitor users’ daily activities and identify individuals by name. The company has also updated its privacy policy, stating that Meta AI’s camera functionality remains enabled by default on the glasses unless users disable the “Hey Meta” voice command feature.