hodler

13 Feb 2026, 15:15

Meta Smart Glasses Facial Recognition: The Controversial ‘Name Tag’ Feature Reportedly Set for Risky Launch

BitcoinWorld Meta Smart Glasses Facial Recognition: The Controversial ‘Name Tag’ Feature Reportedly Set for Risky Launch In a move that could redefine wearable technology and privacy boundaries, Meta is reportedly planning to integrate facial recognition capabilities into its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses. According to a detailed report from The New York Times, the feature, known internally as “Name Tag,” would allow wearers to identify individuals and retrieve information about them through Meta’s AI assistant. This development, potentially launching as soon as this year, arrives amidst significant technical evolution and a complex political landscape, reviving ethical debates the company previously shelved. Meta Smart Glasses Facial Recognition: Inside the ‘Name Tag’ Project The New York Times report, citing internal documents and sources, reveals Meta’s long-standing ambition to equip its smart glasses with facial recognition. The “Name Tag” feature represents a significant leap from the device’s current functions, which include taking photos, recording videos, and interacting with Meta AI for queries. Essentially, the glasses would use their integrated cameras and AI to analyze a person’s face, cross-reference it with a database, and provide the wearer with identifying information through the audio feed. This technology directly targets the growing augmented reality (AR) and ambient computing market, where devices seamlessly blend digital information with the physical world. However, the path to launch has been fraught with hesitation. Meta’s leadership has actively deliberated for over a year on managing the profound “safety and privacy risks” associated with such a powerful tool. Consequently, the company’s plans remain fluid and could change based on internal reviews and external feedback. A Timeline of Technical Challenges and Ethical Pauses Meta’s journey toward facial recognition-enabled glasses is not new. The company first explored adding the technology to the initial version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021. At that time, engineers and ethicists confronted dual barriers: technical limitations in achieving reliable, on-device recognition and substantial ethical concerns regarding consent and surveillance. As a result, Meta publicly dropped those plans. The technical landscape, however, has evolved rapidly. Advances in on-device AI processing, chip efficiency, and computer vision algorithms have made real-time facial recognition on a wearable form factor more feasible. Furthermore, the commercial success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses has provided a robust hardware platform and a large user base, making the feature more viable and potentially lucrative. The report indicates these factors, combined with a shifting regulatory and political environment, have prompted Meta to revive the ambitious project. Strategic Timing and Political Calculations Perhaps the most striking revelation from the internal documents is the alleged strategic timing considered for the feature’s release. The New York Times reports that Meta viewed the current period of “political tumult” in the United States as an opportune moment. An internal memo reportedly stated, “We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.” This suggests a calculated approach to mitigate backlash from privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations. Additionally, the report notes the company’s perception of a warmer relationship between the Trump administration and big tech, potentially creating a more favorable regulatory climate for launching controversial technology. This layer of corporate strategy adds a significant dimension to the story, highlighting how tech giants may navigate not just technological and ethical hurdles, but also socio-political ones. The Privacy and Ethical Implications of Always-On Recognition The potential launch of “Name Tag” ignites serious questions about privacy, consent, and social norms. Unlike smartphone-based facial recognition, which requires a user to deliberately point a camera, smart glasses offer a passive, always-available recognition capability. This fundamentally changes the dynamics of surveillance and personal identification. Key concerns include: Lack of Consent: Individuals in public spaces could be identified without their knowledge or permission. Data Security: The storage and management of facial biometric data, whether on-device or in the cloud, present a high-value target for breaches. Function Creep: Initial uses for the visually impaired or social recall could expand into commercial tracking, law enforcement partnerships, or social scoring. Social Chilling Effects: The awareness that one could be identified at any time may alter behavior in public spaces, impacting free association and anonymity. Meta had initially considered a controlled rollout, offering “Name Tag” to attendees of a conference for the visually impaired before a public release. This approach, which aligns with assistive technology use cases, was ultimately not executed. The abandonment of this staged plan raises questions about the company’s current risk assessment and commitment to developing the technology responsibly. Comparative Landscape: How Meta’s Plan Stacks Up To understand the significance of Meta’s move, it’s useful to compare it with the broader industry and regulatory context. Other companies have approached wearable recognition with caution or failure. Google Glass famously faced a massive public backlash over privacy fears, leading to its withdrawal from the consumer market. Snap’s Spectacles have largely avoided biometric features. In contrast, Clearview AI has commercialized facial recognition by scraping public web images, facing numerous lawsuits and bans. Meta’s approach seems to aim for a middle ground: embedding the technology into a mainstream consumer product with clear utility, while navigating the inevitable storm. The following table contrasts key aspects: Aspect Meta’s Reported ‘Name Tag’ Industry Context Platform Consumer smart glasses (Ray-Ban Meta) Dedicated police cams, smartphone apps, web scraping Primary Use Case Personal AI assistant, social identification Law enforcement, security, marketing analytics Data Source Likely user-uploaded contacts & opt-in profiles Public databases, government IDs, social media Regulatory Scrutiny Extremely high (consumer privacy, biometric laws) High, but often sector-specific Public Perception High controversy, mixed utility perception Generally negative outside security contexts Conclusion The reported plan to add facial recognition to Meta smart glasses represents a pivotal moment for wearable technology, corporate responsibility, and digital privacy. The “Name Tag” feature, if launched, would push the boundaries of ambient AI, offering novel convenience while introducing unprecedented surveillance capabilities into everyday life. Meta’s history of pausing the project over ethical concerns, its alleged calculations about political timing, and the unresolved technical and privacy challenges all indicate a high-stakes rollout. The coming months will likely see intense scrutiny from regulators, privacy advocates, and the public, testing Meta’s ability to balance innovation with its professed commitment to responsible development. The fate of Meta smart glasses facial recognition will serve as a critical case study for the future of augmented reality and personal data in the public sphere. FAQs Q1: What is the “Name Tag” feature reportedly coming to Meta smart glasses? The “Name Tag” feature is an internal Meta project that would use the cameras in Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to perform facial recognition. It would identify people in the wearer’s field of view and provide information about them through the built-in AI assistant and speakers. Q2: Why did Meta previously cancel plans for smart glasses facial recognition? Meta initially explored the technology in 2021 but dropped plans due to a combination of technical challenges in making it work reliably on the device and significant ethical concerns regarding user privacy, consent, and the potential for misuse. Q3: What are the biggest privacy concerns with this feature? The primary concerns are the lack of consent from individuals being identified, the security of sensitive facial biometric data, the potential for constant, passive surveillance in public spaces, and the “chilling effect” on social behavior if people know they can be instantly identified. Q4: When could Meta release this facial recognition feature? According to The New York Times report, Meta is considering launching the feature as soon as this year, though the company’s plans could change based on ongoing internal deliberations about safety and privacy risks. Q5: How does Meta’s reported political timing factor into this? Internal documents suggest Meta sees the current period of U.S. political tumult as a strategic window to launch, believing privacy and civil society groups may be distracted by other major concerns, potentially reducing organized opposition to the feature’s release. This post Meta Smart Glasses Facial Recognition: The Controversial ‘Name Tag’ Feature Reportedly Set for Risky Launch first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

13 Feb 2026, 15:05

Ransomware Hackers Targeting Employee Monitoring Software To Access Computers

Workforce monitoring software was abused in two cases of attempted ransomware attacks, researchers from Huntress found.

13 Feb 2026, 13:05

Philion Says Flare is Transforming XRP to the Pre-eminent Tokenization Platform

Hugo Philion, CEO of Flare Labs, believes Flare can help move XRPL beyond its focus on payments and turn it into a leading platform for tokenization. Philion suggested that Flare's technology allows XRP to participate in decentralized finance at an institutional level. Visit Website

13 Feb 2026, 12:21

FAW Group banks on 620‑mile semi‑solid state battery to challenge EV market leaders

Chinese car manufacturer FAW Group has launched a semi-solid battery with an extended range for electric vehicles. The new battery cell has an energy density of over 500 Wh/kg and a total battery capacity of up to 142kWh, which will reportedly power EVs to cover up to 620 miles (1,000km), a significant improvement over the current 400-mile range. FAW Group is up against major global players from China, including BYD and CATL, that currently control the global EV market. According to Carbon Credits data , Chinese companies collectively control 69% of the global EV battery Market. CATL commands about 38% of the global market, with over 355.2 GWh of batteries installed, with a major grip of the local Chinese market. BYD, on the other hand, has spread its wings overseas, selling more than 130,000 vehicles outside China. FAW Group, with the new battery chemistry, seeks to challenge BYD and CATL, with the backing of Volkswagen Group for the global EV market. Chinese carmaker FAW rolls out its semi-solid state battery for EVs FAW Group announced on February 10 that it had successfully incorporated what it claims is the “industry’s first” lithium-rich manganese semi-solid-state EV battery into an electric vehicle. The battery was developed by FAW’s battery unit, China Automotive New Energy Battery Technology Co Ltd., in collaboration with a team of scholars led by Academician Chen Jun at Nankai University. The battery cell reportedly performs better than industry-standard lithium-ion batteries. The company says the battery cell will improve charging speeds and energy efficiency. Solid-state battery cells are often regarded as the next evolution of EV battery technology . The batteries have the potential to deliver twice the energy density of traditional liquid lithium-ion batteries. The news comes after SAIC Motors announced that it had also pioneered the “world’s first mass-produced semi-solid state” electric vehicle battery. The company officially launched the electric MG$ Anxin Edition Hatchback with the battery at a motor show in August last year. The battery reportedly has a range of 530km and supports 2C charging. In mid-January, Dongfeng Motors, another Chinese car manufacturer, announced it had begun testing a solid-state battery-powered prototype under extreme cold conditions. The automaker also claims its battery cell innovation can unlock more than 1,000 km (620 miles) of CLTC driving range. FAW’s battery is also using a manganese solution. Still, many Chinese brands are experimenting with NCM and NCA battery types that also have the potential to offer higher energy density, but use more Nickel. US and European manufacturers heighten efforts to develop high-density batteries Western car manufacturers have also joined the bandwagon and have been making significant strides in developing improved batteries. In the U.S., specialized American tech companies have partnered with car manufacturers to launch solid-state batteries this year. Factorial Energy partnered with Stellantis (the parent company of Jeep and Dodge) and Mercedes to accelerate innovation in solid-state battery development. QuantumScape, another U.S. player, is also working on developing a production facility in February designed to produce solid-state cells for Volkswagen Group. European companies are also in the race to develop their own solid-state batteries. Blue Solutions, a French battery manufacturing company, has produced solid-state batteries for buses for years and has announced it will begin focusing on passenger vehicles this year. Japanese multinational Panasonic Holdings Corporation announced it intends to develop a new high-capacity battery over the next two years. The company aims to accelerate innovation to eliminate anodes in batteries, boosting energy density and increasing battery capacity by 25%. The new battery will significantly increase the range of the Tesla Model Y vehicles. The news comes as global EV registrations declined in January amid policy changes in the U.S. and China. China has introduced a purchase tax and lower EV subsidies, while the U.S. has embarked on U.S. regulatory shifts in the sector. EV registrations dropped by 3%, settling at 1.2 million units for both EVs and hybrid vehicles. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

13 Feb 2026, 10:34

Michael Burry explains why he’s betting against Palantir in 10,000 words

Michael Burry is betting against Palantir again, and he wrote more than 10,000 words explaining why. He published the essay on Substack on Thursday. In November, Michael disclosed put options against Palantir and Nvidia. That means he makes money if those stocks fall. He believes Palantir is overpriced right now. Michael did not start with numbers. He started with Alex Karp. Alex is the chief executive of Palantir . In The Philosopher in the Valley, written by Michael Steinberger, Alex is quoted saying, “You think it is helpful having a fluorescent green praying mantis coming into their offices telling them about German philosophy? Do you think that’s helpful? I can tell you it’s not helpful.” Peter said, “My riff on Alex is that he’s working out some psychological issues where he has to do things in this really, really hard way versus the straightforward, easy way.” Michael wrote that his criticism is not personal. He made it clear that:- “I have spent some time with Peter. I like him a lot. He’s a great guy. I have not met Alex, but the book made me appreciate him.” Burry digs out Palantir’s history of losses and heavy spending to make his case Before going public in late 2020, Palantir had a strong reputation in Washington and Silicon Valley. It worked with government agencies and powerful partners. At the same time, it was losing serious money. When Palantir filed its S-1 in the summer of 2020, the numbers became public. As of June 30, 2020, Palantir had lost $3.96 billion in total. In 2018 and 2019 combined, it lost $1.2 billion. Funding rounds were large. The biggest was Series K in 2019. It raised $899 million at $11.38 per share. Between financings, the company used revolving lines of credit to support cash flow. In August 2020, just before the direct listing, the board awarded Alex $1.1 billion in stock options. Michael wrote, “If you have not realized it by now, the company really knows how to throw money around.” Burry challenges the AI platform and the $300 billion valuation Palantir was founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel and other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with a mission to build software that helps governments, militaries, and corporations process large data sets. In 2023, Palantir launched its Artificial Intelligence Platform, a system that allegedly connects large language models from OpenAI and Anthropic to customer data. Since then, revenue growth has been steady for Palantir. Last year, the Thiel-backed company reported $4.5 billion in annual sales. That was up 56% from the year before. The stock surged about 450% over the past two years. The company now has a market value near $300 billion. Wall Street analysts rate it overweight on average, based on MarketWatch data. When Michael revealed his short position last year, Alex responded publicly. He called betting against AI companies “making all the money” “super-weird” and “batshit crazy.” Michael disagrees with the optimism. He argues that Palantir relies on third-party language models that are “systematically unreliable.” He cited a Stanford University paper that described reasoning failures in large language models. He wrote that this matters for “legal reasoning, scientific reasoning, medical decision support, military targeting, and other truly mission critical tasks requiring 100 per cent precision and confidence grounded in real data.” Burry points to uneven growth and predicts a lower valuation Michael also wrote that many chief executives feel pressure to show they are using AI. That pressure drives demand for Palantir software today. He warned that over time, AI tools could make data integration cheap enough for companies to handle on their own. He named Salesforce and Microsoft as well-funded competitors. He wrote, “They may pounce before or after savvy customers realise Emperor Palantir has no clothes.” Michael examined regional growth numbers. U.S. commercial revenue rose 137% last year. International commercial revenue increased only 2%. He argued this suggests the business depends on engineers and close relationships on the ground. He said that looks more like consulting than pure SaaS. Michael ended with a direct forecast. He wrote that the recent winning streak will not endure. He predicted the company will prove to be worth less than $100 billion. For now, the market prices Palantir far above that level. Michael is positioned for the opposite outcome. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

13 Feb 2026, 10:15

Cango receives over $75M in equity investments to boost AI compute push as ‘supercycle’ takes off

Cango received $10.5 million from an equity investment from EWCL in addition to $65 million cumulative investment from entities owned by members of its leadership. The firm launched a new Dallas-based subsidiary, EcoHash Technology, to lead development of its global AI compute network. Cango’s roadmap includes near-term hardware deployment, mid-term software orchestration, and long-term global AI platform expansion. Cango announced that it received over $75 million in fresh equity investments to fuel the growth of its AI infrastructure business. According to a statement by the firm, it has closed the previously announced Class B equity investment of $10.5 million from Enduring Wealth Capital Limited (EWCL), The firm also secured equity investments to the tune of $65 million from entities wholly-owned by Cango’s chairman, Xin Jin and company director, Chang-Wei Chiu, bringing the total capital raised to $75.5 million. The fresh capital signals strong support from company leadership to strengthen its balance sheet and also contribute to its AI business expansion. CEO Paul Yu stated that Cango also made a treasury adjustment to strengthen its balance sheet and reduce financial leverage with a $305 million sale from its BTC holdings to settle debt obligations. This adjustment is expected to increase the company’s capacity to fund its strategic expansion into AI compute infrastructure. In a letter to its shareholders, the NYSE-listed company mentioned that it has established EcoHash Technology LLC, a new subsidiary that it fully owns, based in Dallas, Texas, to focus on advancing its AI compute initiatives. Cango sets up infrastructure to power AI transition As mentioned in earlier reports, Cango made major strides to end 2025, with its Bitcoin treasury valuation exceeding its stock market capitalization as of early January 2026. At the time, it also announced plans to create a globally distributed AI-compute network, and this latest development is a step in that direction for the company. CEO Paul Yu stated that the firm is trying to cover the “Power Gap,” a disconnect between rising AI compute demand and existing grid capacity, and that has informed its latest strategic transformation. Yu’s sentiments echo opinions shared by Nokia CEO Justin Hotard, who told Reuters that “I fundamentally think we’re at the front end of an AI supercycle, much like the 1990s with the internet.” Cango plans to leverage its globally distributed mining infrastructure, which spans more than 40 sites across North America, the Middle East, South America, and East Africa, to deliver scalable, low-latency compute capacity to meet what it describes as long-tail inference demand from small and medium-sized enterprises. While it is committing resources to expand its AI inference compute service to its existing sites, the firm also plans to become an enabler for mid-to-small-sized BTC mining operators seeking a low-cost, modular pathway to diversify their infrastructure to tap into the AI supercycle. Internal moves lined up for expansion goals To lead Cango’s AI operations is Jack Jin, who was recently hired as the chief technology officer of its AI business subsidiary. Before his role with Cango, Jin managed large-scale GPU systems and orchestration platforms at Zoom Communications. Cango is also assembling a dedicated team that will be joining the new CTO in guiding technical execution. The company ticked off another box after it successfully completed a technical demonstration that validated its core hardware innovation, which is standardized, plug-and-play compute nodes designed for fast deployment across its existing infrastructure. This will enable the firm to offer on-demand compute capacity by drawing on power from current mining operations. Cango expects the sites to become operational in relatively short timeframes. The company stated that conversion to AI-ready infrastructure requires limited upgrades, creating the potential to keep developing more revenue streams while addressing enterprise demand for accessible AI compute. Cango’s transition roadmap Cango transition is following a three-phase development roadmap, which are the near, medium, and long-term phases, and according to Yu, early results are already emerging. In the near term, the focus remains on standardization and the efficient deployment of containerized GPU compute nodes as plug-and-play solutions for quick rollout. The medium-term phase focuses on software-defined orchestration. Cango is developing a proprietary in-house platform to manage and integrate its distributed compute capacity, evolving its role from operator to what it terms an ecosystem enabler. As an enabler, the company will be helping mid-to-small-sized BTC mining operators to diversify their infrastructure into AI at relatively lower costs. This architecture is designed to offer its global footprint as an integrated, enterprise-grade network without the typical infrastructure complexity associated with distributed computing at scale. The long-term vision extends to building a mature global AI infrastructure platform by activating underutilized power across its mining ecosystem. The company management expects this strategy to bring in recurring revenue streams from platform services and compute agreements designed to be durable across market cycles. Yu acknowledged the multi-year nature of the transition, stating, “The transition from mining to AI compute will continue to develop over multiple years, and we are still in the early stages. While the path ahead requires sustained effort, our roadmap is clear, and we are committed to prudent, step-wise execution.” The announcement follows Cango’s completion of several foundational milestones in 2025, including acquiring and enhancing the hashrate efficiency of 50 exahash per second of on-rack machines, securing an initial 50 megawatts of energy infrastructure, divesting legacy operations, and completing its transition to a direct NYSE listing. Cango still maintains strong interests in its AutoCango.com international used car export business alongside its digital asset operation.