Crypto-Funded Chinese Peptide Labs Are Booming
This article covers several technology-related developments, including Meta's dormant facial recognition code, xAI's legal battle over deepfake nudes, and Google's new Android anti-scam features. It also touches on the Manhattan Institute's efforts to influence legislation regarding protest-related offenses.
Why it matters
These stories highlight the growing tension between rapid AI development, user privacy, and the legal challenges posed by synthetic media and corporate surveillance.
Photograph: Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Meta has been quietly stashing dormant face recognition code on more than 50 million phones , WIRED reported this week, tucked inside the companion app that pairs with its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. If activated, the feature—known internally as NameTag—would let wearers identify people in front of them by matching captured faces against a biometric gallery sitting on the user’s device. It’s the same kind of technology Meta said it walked away from in 2021, after paying out billions of dollars to settle biometric privacy lawsuits in Texas and Illinois.
The framing of the Manhattan Institute as a 'right-wing think tank' and the focus on corporate privacy failures suggest a progressive editorial perspective.
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