Your Face Is the New Currency—Are You Ready?

$1.3 Million in Hacking Tools, Millions of Devices at Risk

This week's tech headlines share a troubling thread: the escalating war over privacy and surveillance is getting more personal. Meta wants to add facial recognition to smart glasses, Russia is blocking its citizens from WhatsApp, and the US Justice Department revealed that hacking tools sold to Russia could compromise millions of devices.

The question isn't whether surveillance technology is advancing—it's whether we're sleepwalking into a world where privacy becomes a luxury good.

Meta's 'Name Tag' Feature: Street-Level Facial Recognition

Meta is planning to add facial recognition to its Ray-Ban smart glasses through a feature internally called "Name Tag." The technology would identify people you encounter in real life, essentially turning every street corner into a potential surveillance checkpoint.

The timing is telling. According to internal memos obtained by the Times, Meta believes the current "dynamic political environment" means "many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns." This from the same company that avoided facial recognition in its first smart glasses in 2021 due to ethical concerns.

Ring's Super Bowl Backlash: When Marketing Reveals Too Much

Amazon-owned Ring abruptly canceled its partnership with Flock Safety after public outcry following its Super Bowl ad. The partnership would have connected Ring's network of private surveillance cameras with police license plate recognition systems.

The ad showcased Ring's "Search Party" feature, which "uses AI to help families find lost dogs." Viewers immediately connected the dots: if the system can find lost pets, it can certainly track people. The backlash was swift and decisive—Ring pulled the plug on the entire Flock partnership within days.

Russia's Digital Iron Curtain: WhatsApp vs. State Control

Millions of Russians suddenly lost access to WhatsApp this week as the government removed the encrypted messaging service from its official internet directory. The move affects not just WhatsApp but also YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

WhatsApp accused Russia of trying to force citizens onto "Max," a government-backed messaging app without encryption. It's a familiar playbook—Iran used similar tactics during anti-government protests, cutting off global internet access while maintaining surveillance-friendly domestic networks.

The $1.3 Million Betrayal: When Defense Contractors Go Rogue

The Justice Department revealed that hacking tools sold by former L3Harris executive Peter Williams to a Russian firm could compromise millions of computers and devices. Williams received $1.3 million in cryptocurrency for eight hacking tools between 2022 and 2025.

The case highlights a disturbing trend: insiders at defense contractors selling cyber weapons to adversaries. The DOJ claims Williams' actions "directly harmed" US intelligence operations.

The Whistleblower in the Shadows: Gabbard and Kushner

A highly classified whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard involves an intercepted conversation about Jared Kushner between two foreign nationals. The complaint alleges Gabbard limited sharing of the conversation within the intelligence community for political reasons.

The complaint has been so closely guarded that even Congress members could only review a heavily redacted version, with the original allegedly kept in a locked safe.