Trump Directs Military to Target Foreign Drug Cartels
President Trump has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations, according to people familiar with the matter.
The decision to bring the American military into the fight is the most aggressive step so far in the administration’s escalating campaign against the cartels. It signals Mr. Trump’s continued willingness to use military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs.
But directing the military to crack down on the illicit trade also raises legal issues, including whether it would count as “murder” if U.S. forces acting outside of a congressionally authorized armed conflict were to kill civilians — even criminal suspects — who pose no imminent threat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/us/trump-military-drug-cartels.html
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Trump Directs Military to Target Foreign Drug Cartels
President Trump has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations, according to people familiar with the matter.
The decision to bring the American military into the fight is the most aggressive step so far in the administration’s escalating campaign against the cartels. It signals Mr. Trump’s continued willingness to use military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs.
But directing the military to crack down on the illicit trade also raises legal issues, including whether it would count as “murder” if U.S. forces acting outside of a congressionally authorized armed conflict were to kill civilians — even criminal suspects — who pose no imminent threat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/us/trump-military-drug-cartels.html
US politicians lobby Trump to penalise Ireland if it passes Occupied Territories Bill
On Thursday, New York congresswoman Claudia Tenney, along with 15 other lawmakers, wrote to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asking that he investigate whether Ireland’s proposed law violates US anti-boycott law.
The letter urges the Department of the Treasury to conduct a formal review under Section 999 of the Internal Revenue Code and consider adding Ireland to the list of countries that require or may require participation in international boycotts against the US or its allies. If added to the list, there is the potential that American citizens or businesses in Ireland would be subject to additional tax reporting rules.
In a statement, Ms Tenney said that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was "anti-Israel" and would "economically isolate America’s closest ally in the Middle East". She said the Irish legislation "aligns with the global BDS movement, which seeks to delegitimise Israel and create legal uncertainty for US companies operating abroad". "This proposed boycott is discriminatory, dangerous, and would violate US law."
US politicians lobby Trump to penalise Ireland if it passes Occupied Territories Bill
Congresswoman claims Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions measures are anti-Israel, despite Irish Government saying the UN and ICJ have provided the legal basis for the lawPaul Hosford (IrishExaminer.com)
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US politicians lobby Trump to penalise Ireland if it passes Occupied Territories Bill
On Thursday, New York congresswoman Claudia Tenney, along with 15 other lawmakers, wrote to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asking that he investigate whether Ireland’s proposed law violates US anti-boycott law.
The letter urges the Department of the Treasury to conduct a formal review under Section 999 of the Internal Revenue Code and consider adding Ireland to the list of countries that require or may require participation in international boycotts against the US or its allies. If added to the list, there is the potential that American citizens or businesses in Ireland would be subject to additional tax reporting rules.
In a statement, Ms Tenney said that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was "anti-Israel" and would "economically isolate America’s closest ally in the Middle East". She said the Irish legislation "aligns with the global BDS movement, which seeks to delegitimise Israel and create legal uncertainty for US companies operating abroad". "This proposed boycott is discriminatory, dangerous, and would violate US law."
US politicians lobby Trump to penalise Ireland if it passes Occupied Territories Bill
Congresswoman claims Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions measures are anti-Israel, despite Irish Government saying the UN and ICJ have provided the legal basis for the lawPaul Hosford (IrishExaminer.com)
German police investigate Hitler salute at local AfD party conference
German authorities are investigating a man suspected of performing the banned Hitler salute during a local party conference of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The 26-year-old suspect allegedly made the Nazi gesture while attending the AfD event in the western town of Unna on Sunday.
A participant in a nearby counter-demonstration captured the incident in a photo and reported it to police.
Officers on site then identified the suspect and filed a criminal complaint for the use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations.
A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent wore Meta’s AI smart glasses to a June 30 immigration raid outside a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles, according to photos and videos of the agent verified by 404 Media.Meta does not have a contract with CBP, and 404 Media was unable to confirm whether or not the agent recorded any video using the smart glasses at the raid. Based on what we know so far, this appears to be a one-off case of an agent either wearing his personal device to an immigration raid, or CBP trying technology on an ad-hoc basis without a formal procurement process. Civil liberties and privacy experts told 404 Media, however, that even on a one-off basis, it signals that law enforcement agents are interested in smart glasses technology and that the wearing of smart glasses in an immigration raid context is highly concerning.
“There’s a nonzero chance the agent bought the Meta smart glasses because they wanted it for themselves and it’s the glasses they like to wear. But even if that’s the case, it’s worth pointing out that there are regulatory things that need to be thought through, and this stuff can trickle down to officers on an individual basis,” Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s security and surveillance project, told 404 Media. “There needs to be compliance with rules and laws even if a technology is not handed out through the department. The questions around [smart glasses are ones] we’re going to have to grapple with very soon and they’re pretty alarming.”
The glasses were worn by a CBP agent outside of a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles during a June 30 immigration raid which happened amid weeks of protests, the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines, and during which immigration enforcement in Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and the backlash to it. 404 Media obtained multiple photos and videos of the CBP agent wearing the Meta glasses and verified that the footage and videos were taken outside of the Cypress Park Home Depot during an immigration raid. The agent in the photo is wearing Meta’s Ray Ban AI glasses, a mask, and a CBP uniform and patch. CBP did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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1×In the video, a CBP agent motions to the person filming the video to back up. The Meta Ray Ban AI glasses are clearly visible on the agent’s face.
Meta’s AI smart glasses currently feature a camera, live-streaming capabilities, integration with Meta’s AI assistant, three microphones, and image and scene recognition capabilities through Meta AI. The Information reported that Meta is considering adding facial recognition capabilities to the device, though they do not currently have that functionality. When filming, a recording light on Meta’s smart glasses turns on; in the photos and brief video 404 Media has seen, the light is not on.
Students at Harvard University showed that they can be used in conjunction with off-the-shelf facial recognition tools to identify people in near real time.
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Do you know anything else about this? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at jason.404. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.Multiple experts 404 Media spoke to said that these smart glasses qualify as a body worn camera under the Department of Homeland Security’s and Customs and Border Protection’s video recording policies. CBP’s policy states that “no personally owned devices may be used in lieu of IDVRS [Incident Driven Video Recording Systems] to record law enforcement encounters,” and that “recorded data shall not be downloaded or recorded for personal use or posted onto a personally owned device.” DHS’s policy states “the use of personally owned [Body Worn Cameras] or other video, audio, or digital recording devices to record official law enforcement activities is prohibited.”
Under the Trump administration, however, enforcement of regulations for law enforcement engaging in immigration raids is largely out the window.
“I think it should be seen in the context of an agency that is really encouraging its agents to actively intimidate and terrorize people. Use of cameras can be seen as part of that,” Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU, told 404 Media. “It’s in line with the masking that we’ve seen, and generally behavior that’s intended to terrorize people, masking failure to identify themselves, failure to wear clear uniforms, smashing windows, etc. A big part of why this is problematic is the utter lack of policy oversight here. If an agent videotapes themselves engaging in abusive activity, are they going to be able to bury that video? Are they going to be able to turn it on and off on the fly or edit it later? There are all kinds of abuses that can happen with these without regulation and enforcement of those regulations, and the prospects of that happening in this administration seem dim.”
playlist.megaphone.fm?p=TBIEA2…
When reached for comment, a Meta spokesperson asked 404 Media a series of questions about the framing of the article, and stressed that Meta does not have any contract with CBP. They then asked why Meta would be mentioned in the article at all: “I’m curious if you can explain why it is Meta will be mentioned by name in this piece when in previous 404 reporting regarding ICE facial recognition app and follow up reporting the term ‘smartphones’ or ‘phone’ is used despite ICE agents clearly using Apple iPhones and Android devices,” they said. Meta ultimately declined to comment for this story.Meta also recently signed a partnership deal with defense contractor Anduril to offer AI, augmented reality, and virtual reality capabilities to the military through Meta’s Reality Labs division, which also makes the Meta smart glasses (though it is unclear what form this technology will take or what its capabilities will be). Earlier this year, Meta relaxed its content moderation policies on hate speech regarding the dehumanization of immigrants, and last month Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth was named an Army Reserve Lt. Colonel by the Trump administration.
“Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a press release announcing the deal with Anduril. “We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.”
“My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that,” Anduril founder Palmer Luckey said in the press release.
In a recent earnings call, Zuckerberg said he believes smart glasses will become the primary way people interact with AI. “I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI or some way to interact with AI, I think you’re kind of similarly, probably [will] be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people and who you’re working with, or competing against,” he said during the call. “That’s also going to unlock a lot of value where you can just interact with an AI system throughout the day in this multimodal way. It can see the content around you, it can generate a UI for you, show you information and be helpful.”
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has recently gained access to a new facial recognition smartphone app called Mobile Fortify that is connected to several massive government databases, showing that DHS is interested in facial recognition tech.
Privacy and civil liberties experts told 404 Media that this broader context—with Meta heavily marketing its smart glasses while simultaneously getting into military contracting, and the Department of Homeland Security increasingly interested in facial recognition—means that seeing a CBP agent wearing Meta AI glasses in the field is alarming.
“Regardless of whether this was a personal choice by this agent or whether somehow CBP facilitated the use of these meta glasses, the fact that it was worn by this agent is disturbing,” Jeramie Scott, senior counsel and director of the Electronic Information Privacy Center told 404 Media. “Having this type of technology on a law enforcement agent starts heading toward the tactics of authoritarian governments who love to use facial recognition to try to suppress opposition.”
The fact is that Meta is at the forefront of popularizing smart glasses, which are not yet a widely adopted technology. The privacy practices and functionality of the glasses is, at the moment, largely being guided by Meta, whereas smartphones are a largely commodified technology at this point. And it’s clear that this consumer technology that the company markets on billboards as a cool way to record videos for Instagram is seen by some in law enforcement as enticing.
“It’s clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased,” Chris Gilliard, co-director of The Critical Internet Studies Institute and author of the forthcoming book Luxury Surveillance, told 404 Media.
“The fact is when you bring powerful new surveillance capabilities into the marketplace, they can be used for a range of purposes including abusive ones. And that needs to be thought through before you bring things like that into the marketplace,” the ACLU’s Stanley said.
Laperruque, of the CDT, said perhaps we should think about Meta smart glasses in the same way we think about other body cameras: “On the one hand, there’s a big difference between glasses with a computer built into them and a pair of Oakleys,” he said. “They’re not the only ones who make cameras you attach to your body. On the other hand, if that’s going to be the comparison, then let’s talk about this in the context of companies like Axon and other body-worn cameras.”
Update: After this article was published, the independent journalist Mel Buer (who runs the site Words About Work) reposted images she took at a July 7 immigration enforcement raid at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. In Buer's footage and photos, two additional CBP agents can be seen wearing Meta smart glasses in the back of a truck; a third is holding a camera pointed out of the back of the truck. Buer gave 404 Media permission to republish the photos; you can find her work here.
Images: Mel Buer
Mark Zuckerberg says anyone not wearing AI glasses in the future will be at a disadvantage
Zuckerberg said immersive smart glasses could bring the idea of the metaverse to fruition.Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez (Fortune)
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Team Leader at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites Belongs to Anti-“Jihad” Motorcycle Club, Has Crusader Tattoos
Team Leader at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites Belongs to Anti-“Jihad” Motorcycle Club, Has Crusader Tattoos
Johnny Mulford, who works as a contractor for GHF in Gaza, is a member of the “Infidels” motorcycle gang and has Crusader-style cross tattoos.Sam Biddle (The Intercept)
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Key sections of the US Constitution deleted from government's website
Key sections of the US Constitution deleted from government's website | TechCrunch
Internet sleuths say the U.S. Constitution's website is now missing key sections from its website, including a key legal provision relating to habeas corpus, which protects citizens from unlawful detention.Dominic-Madori Davis (TechCrunch)
Apple made a 24k gold and glass statue for Donald Trump
Apple made a 24k gold and glass statue for Donald Trump
Apple CEO Tim Cook gave President Donald Trump a “unique” piece of glass from iPhone glass manufacturer Corning that’s set in a 24-karat gold base.Jay Peters (The Verge)
We have confirmation David Lammy was lying and the UK has been assisting Israel in genocide
We have confirmation David Lammy was lying and the UK has been assisting Israel in genocide
Foreign secretary David Lammy recently admitted the UK has been conducting surveillance flights over Gaza but denied that intelligence was being passed onto Israel.Ricky Hale (Council Estate Media)
Apple’s lock on iPhone browser engines gets a December deadline
Japan doesn’t want to repeat the EU’s loopholes.
Apple’s lock on iPhone browser engines gets a December deadline
We might finally see the first iPhone browsers built on top of third-party engines now that Japanese regulators have taken up the issue.Jess Weatherbed (The Verge)
AI-generated music is here to stay. Will streaming services like Spotify label it?
It sounds like a joke, or a bad episode of Black Mirror.
My nephew invented a game where he pushes me around like a log
copymyjalopy likes this.
I've found that kids' games should accomplish as many of these as possible:
- Require lots of exertion from them.
- Require minimal exertion from you.
- Still allow you to talk to them and vice-versa.
- Keep them engaged.
Sounds like you found a game that does all 4. Congrats!
Trump's 100% chip tariffs will likely hurt smaller manufacturers, as major companies court exemptions
Samsung, SK Hynix, and TSMC might be safe from steep tariffs, though smaller manufacturers may be vulnerable.
UK proxy traffic surges as users consider VPN alternatives amid Online Safety Act
It's 'more than a temporary trend,' Decodo claims
UK proxy traffic surges as users consider VPN alternatives amid Online Safety Act
: It's 'more than a temporary trend,' Decodo claimsRichard Speed (The Register)
UK secretly allows facial recognition scans of passport, immigration databases
Campaigners brand Home Office’s lack of transparency as ‘astonishing’ and ‘dangerous’
UK secretly allows facial recognition scans of passport, immigration databases
: Campaigners brand Home Office’s lack of transparency as ‘astonishing’ and ‘dangerous’Connor Jones (The Register)
How U.S. imperialism blackmails the world with nuclear weapons, from Hiroshima to today
How U.S. imperialism blackmails the world with nuclear weapons, from Hiroshima to today
Since the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, US imperialism has driven nuclear proliferation worldwide. Current nuclear flashpoints, such as Iran, show how the US continues to use nuclear blackmail to reinforce its dominance.Rhonda Ramiro (Mondoweiss)
How AI Conquered the US Economy: A Visual FAQ
The US economy is splitting in two. There’s a rip-roaring AI economy. And there’s a lackluster consumer economy. Last quarter, spending on AI outpaced the growth in consumer spending.
Yet, the whole 'AI economy' is itself a house of cards. Companies are losing hundreds of billions and all gains are in speculative valuation. The only winner here is Nvidia, and all it does is just flip Taiwan’s chips to cash-burning companies.
wheresyoured.at/the-haters-gui…
The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble
Hey! Before we go any further — if you want to support my work, please sign up for the premium version of Where’s Your Ed At, it’s a $7-a-month (or $70-a-year) paid product where every week you get a premium newsletter, all while supporting my free w…Edward Zitron (Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At)
Proton is vibe coding some of its apps.
cross-posted from: lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/50693956
::: spoiler Transcript
A post by [object Object] (@zzt@mas.to) saying:
courtesy of @davidgerard@circumstances.run, Proton is now the only privacy vendor I know of that vibe codes its apps:
In the single most damning thing I can say about Proton in 2025, the Proton GitHub repository has a “cursorrules” file. They’re vibe-coding their public systems. Much secure!
I am once again begging anyone who will listen to get off of Proton as soon as reasonably possible, and to avoid their new (terrible) apps in any case. circumstances.run/@davidgerard…It has a reply by the author saying:
in an unsurprising update for those familiar with how Proton operates, they silently rewrote their monorepo’s history to purge .cursor and hide that they were vibe coding: github.com/ProtonMail/WebClien…given the utter lack of communication from Proton on this, I can only guess they’ve extracted .cursor into an external repository and continue to use it out of sight of the public
:::
GitHub - ProtonMail/WebClients at 2a5e2ad4db0c84f39050bf2353c944a96d38e07f
Monorepo hosting the proton web clients. Contribute to ProtonMail/WebClients development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
Proton’s Lumo AI chatbot: not end-to-end encrypted, not open sourcepivot-to-ai.com/2025/08/02/pro… - text
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20250802-… - podcast
youtube.com/watch?v=HDPZbUPUFy… - videoProton’s Lumo AI chatbot: not end-to-end encrypted, not open source
Proton Mail is famous for its privacy and security. The cool trick they do is that not even Proton can decode your email. That’s because it never exists on their systems as plain text — it’s always…Pivot to AI
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I dont see any problem with AI coding. It can be done without the editor supporting it by just asking for a function like please implement a sort function given a list of numbers.
Proton code is open source, so all AI agents have already read everything. You as user just have to do the code review, fix it and test. I am not seeing any problem here.
Social media accounts of Palestinians desperate for funds are being flagged as spam
People in Gaza use Bluesky to crowdfund for milk and diapers – repeated deletion of their profiles has spawned a guerrilla verification squad
Tesla scraps custom Dojo wafer-level processor initiative, dismantles team — Musk to lean on Nvidia and AMD more
Set to increase reliance on AMD and Nvidia hardware for now.
Tesla Reportedly Shuts Down AI Project Weeks After Musk Called It “Spectacular”
Weeks after Elon Musk promised investors that Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer would be “spectacular” and operating at scale, Bloomberg says the project is shut down, raising sharp questions about his credibility.
Honda Is Giving Up on the All-Electric Dream
Citing massive losses and a cooling market, the Japanese auto giant is backing away from an all-electric future in a huge blow to the EV industry and a sign that the road to clean cars just got a lot bumpier.
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Microsoft will kill the Lens PDF scanner app for iOS, Android
Microsoft announced that it will phase out the Microsoft Lens PDF scanner app for Android and iOS devices starting in September.
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Columbia University data breach impacts nearly 870,000 individuals
An unknown threat actor has stolen the sensitive personal, financial, and health information of nearly 870,000 Columbia University current and former students and employees after breaching the university's network in May.
Bouygues Telecom confirms data breach impacting 6.4 million customers
Bouygues Telecom warns it suffered a data breach after the personal information of 6.4 million customers was exposed in a cyberattack.
[Announcement] Secrets of the Atlas Fan Art Competition Runners Up
Announcements - Secrets of the Atlas Fan Art Competition Runners Up - Forum - Path of Exile
Path of Exile is a free online-only action RPG under development by Grinding Gear Games in New Zealand.Path of Exile
Trump demands 'highly conflicted' Intel CEO resign over China ties
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday demanded the immediate resignation of new Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, calling him "highly conflicted" due to his ties to Chinese firms and raising doubts about plans to turn around the struggling American chip icon.
Truth Social’s new AI search engine basically just pushes Fox News
Fork found in kitchen.
Truth Social’s new AI search engine basically just pushes Fox News
Donald Trump’s media company is beta-testing a new AI search feature on Truth Social that’s seemingly biased towards conservative media sources.Jess Weatherbed (The Verge)
Uber received 400,000 reports of sexual misconduct from 2017 to 2022
Between 2017 and 2022, 400,181 Uber trips resulted in reports of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the US, or around one every eight minutes.
US military finds a good use for Tesla Cybertruck: missile target practice
Musk always envisioned the Cybertruck as a military vehicle, but probably not like this.
US military finds a good use for Tesla Cybertruck: missile target practice
The US Air Force is looking to purchase a couple Tesla Cybertrucks to use as missile practice.Andrew J. Hawkins (The Verge)
California jury rules Meta violated privacy law in case involving period-tracking app
A California jury ruled against Meta in a privacy-related lawsuit involving the alleged collection of sensitive data from Flo, a period-tracking app.
Case file: storage.courtlistener.com/reca…
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California could do so much good for the country and cement itself as the new future for the country (over the MIC infested DC) with 2 quick and easy moves:
Revenue based fines for any violation of California law applying to all internet traffic originating from California
A publicly provided VPN with low cost, say 2 bucks a month, offered to all citizens of the US.
All of the sudden california is able to undermine every other states' laws AND pass meaningful legislation. I feel like the program would fund itself after a week
A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
Video obtained and verified by 404 Media shows a CBP official wearing Meta's AI glasses, which are capable of recording and connecting with AI. “I think it should be seen in the context of an agency that is really encouraging its agents to actively intimidate and terrorize people," one expert said.
Archived version: archive.is/20250807210434/404m…
A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent wore Meta’s AI smart glasses to a June 30 immigration raid outside a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles, according to photos and videos of the agent verified by 404 Media.Meta does not have a contract with CBP, and 404 Media was unable to confirm whether or not the agent recorded any video using the smart glasses at the raid. Based on what we know so far, this appears to be a one-off case of an agent either wearing his personal device to an immigration raid, or CBP trying technology on an ad-hoc basis without a formal procurement process. Civil liberties and privacy experts told 404 Media, however, that even on a one-off basis, it signals that law enforcement agents are interested in smart glasses technology and that the wearing of smart glasses in an immigration raid context is highly concerning.
“There’s a nonzero chance the agent bought the Meta smart glasses because they wanted it for themselves and it’s the glasses they like to wear. But even if that’s the case, it’s worth pointing out that there are regulatory things that need to be thought through, and this stuff can trickle down to officers on an individual basis,” Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s security and surveillance project, told 404 Media. “There needs to be compliance with rules and laws even if a technology is not handed out through the department. The questions around [smart glasses are ones] we’re going to have to grapple with very soon and they’re pretty alarming.”
The glasses were worn by a CBP agent outside of a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles during a June 30 immigration raid which happened amid weeks of protests, the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines, and during which immigration enforcement in Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and the backlash to it. 404 Media obtained multiple photos and videos of the CBP agent wearing the Meta glasses and verified that the footage and videos were taken outside of the Cypress Park Home Depot during an immigration raid. The agent in the photo is wearing Meta’s Ray Ban AI glasses, a mask, and a CBP uniform and patch. CBP did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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1×In the video, a CBP agent motions to the person filming the video to back up. The Meta Ray Ban AI glasses are clearly visible on the agent’s face.
Meta’s AI smart glasses currently feature a camera, live-streaming capabilities, integration with Meta’s AI assistant, three microphones, and image and scene recognition capabilities through Meta AI. The Information reported that Meta is considering adding facial recognition capabilities to the device, though they do not currently have that functionality. When filming, a recording light on Meta’s smart glasses turns on; in the photos and brief video 404 Media has seen, the light is not on.
Students at Harvard University showed that they can be used in conjunction with off-the-shelf facial recognition tools to identify people in near real time.
💡
Do you know anything else about this? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at jason.404. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.Multiple experts 404 Media spoke to said that these smart glasses qualify as a body worn camera under the Department of Homeland Security’s and Customs and Border Protection’s video recording policies. CBP’s policy states that “no personally owned devices may be used in lieu of IDVRS [Incident Driven Video Recording Systems] to record law enforcement encounters,” and that “recorded data shall not be downloaded or recorded for personal use or posted onto a personally owned device.” DHS’s policy states “the use of personally owned [Body Worn Cameras] or other video, audio, or digital recording devices to record official law enforcement activities is prohibited.”
Under the Trump administration, however, enforcement of regulations for law enforcement engaging in immigration raids is largely out the window.
“I think it should be seen in the context of an agency that is really encouraging its agents to actively intimidate and terrorize people. Use of cameras can be seen as part of that,” Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU, told 404 Media. “It’s in line with the masking that we’ve seen, and generally behavior that’s intended to terrorize people, masking failure to identify themselves, failure to wear clear uniforms, smashing windows, etc. A big part of why this is problematic is the utter lack of policy oversight here. If an agent videotapes themselves engaging in abusive activity, are they going to be able to bury that video? Are they going to be able to turn it on and off on the fly or edit it later? There are all kinds of abuses that can happen with these without regulation and enforcement of those regulations, and the prospects of that happening in this administration seem dim.”
playlist.megaphone.fm?p=TBIEA2…
When reached for comment, a Meta spokesperson asked 404 Media a series of questions about the framing of the article, and stressed that Meta does not have any contract with CBP. They then asked why Meta would be mentioned in the article at all: “I’m curious if you can explain why it is Meta will be mentioned by name in this piece when in previous 404 reporting regarding ICE facial recognition app and follow up reporting the term ‘smartphones’ or ‘phone’ is used despite ICE agents clearly using Apple iPhones and Android devices,” they said. Meta ultimately declined to comment for this story.Meta also recently signed a partnership deal with defense contractor Anduril to offer AI, augmented reality, and virtual reality capabilities to the military through Meta’s Reality Labs division, which also makes the Meta smart glasses (though it is unclear what form this technology will take or what its capabilities will be). Earlier this year, Meta relaxed its content moderation policies on hate speech regarding the dehumanization of immigrants, and last month Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth was named an Army Reserve Lt. Colonel by the Trump administration.
“Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a press release announcing the deal with Anduril. “We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.”
“My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that,” Anduril founder Palmer Luckey said in the press release.
In a recent earnings call, Zuckerberg said he believes smart glasses will become the primary way people interact with AI. “I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI or some way to interact with AI, I think you’re kind of similarly, probably [will] be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people and who you’re working with, or competing against,” he said during the call. “That’s also going to unlock a lot of value where you can just interact with an AI system throughout the day in this multimodal way. It can see the content around you, it can generate a UI for you, show you information and be helpful.”
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has recently gained access to a new facial recognition smartphone app called Mobile Fortify that is connected to several massive government databases, showing that DHS is interested in facial recognition tech.
Privacy and civil liberties experts told 404 Media that this broader context—with Meta heavily marketing its smart glasses while simultaneously getting into military contracting, and the Department of Homeland Security increasingly interested in facial recognition—means that seeing a CBP agent wearing Meta AI glasses in the field is alarming.
“Regardless of whether this was a personal choice by this agent or whether somehow CBP facilitated the use of these meta glasses, the fact that it was worn by this agent is disturbing,” Jeramie Scott, senior counsel and director of the Electronic Information Privacy Center told 404 Media. “Having this type of technology on a law enforcement agent starts heading toward the tactics of authoritarian governments who love to use facial recognition to try to suppress opposition.”
The fact is that Meta is at the forefront of popularizing smart glasses, which are not yet a widely adopted technology. The privacy practices and functionality of the glasses is, at the moment, largely being guided by Meta, whereas smartphones are a largely commodified technology at this point. And it’s clear that this consumer technology that the company markets on billboards as a cool way to record videos for Instagram is seen by some in law enforcement as enticing.
“It’s clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased,” Chris Gilliard, co-director of The Critical Internet Studies Institute and author of the forthcoming book Luxury Surveillance, told 404 Media.
“The fact is when you bring powerful new surveillance capabilities into the marketplace, they can be used for a range of purposes including abusive ones. And that needs to be thought through before you bring things like that into the marketplace,” the ACLU’s Stanley said.
Laperruque, of the CDT, said perhaps we should think about Meta smart glasses in the same way we think about other body cameras: “On the one hand, there’s a big difference between glasses with a computer built into them and a pair of Oakleys,” he said. “They’re not the only ones who make cameras you attach to your body. On the other hand, if that’s going to be the comparison, then let’s talk about this in the context of companies like Axon and other body-worn cameras.”
Update: After this article was published, the independent journalist Mel Buer (who runs the site Words About Work) reposted images she took at a July 7 immigration enforcement raid at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. In Buer's footage and photos, two additional CBP agents can be seen wearing Meta smart glasses in the back of a truck; a third is holding a camera pointed out of the back of the truck. Buer gave 404 Media permission to republish the photos; you can find her work here.
Images: Mel Buer
Mark Zuckerberg says anyone not wearing AI glasses in the future will be at a disadvantage
Zuckerberg said immersive smart glasses could bring the idea of the metaverse to fruition.Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez (Fortune)
copymyjalopy likes this.
Eat_Your_Paisley
in reply to geneva_convenience • • •So POTUS just set the stage to invade more than a few central and south american countries.
We got ourselves an antiwar president I tell ya
eldavi
in reply to Eat_Your_Paisley • • •fixed it for you.
HiddenLayer555
in reply to geneva_convenience • • •like this
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