Snap wants to turn smart glasses into the next everyday computing device, and its new Specs are another example of how determined tech companies are to move AI beyond our phones and computers.

The company announced Specs on June 16, describing them as a wearable computer built into see-through augmented reality glasses.

They’re available for preorder at an eye-watering price of $2,195, with a $200 refundable deposit, putting them in the same price range as some entry-level MacBook Pro configurations. Continue reading “Snap Bets Its Specs AR Glasses Can Move Computing Beyond the Phone” →

Google’s legal team has set its sights on an AI-powered network that it claims is helping scammers turn fake text messages and copycat websites into a large-scale phishing operation.

On June 12, the company announced that it had filed a lawsuit against an alleged China-based cybercrime network known as the Outsider Enterprise.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, targets 25 as-yet unnamed defendants accused of operating a phishing network that sold access to “Outsider” software. Scammers could then use the software to build fake websites, send fraudulent texts, and collect personal and financial information from their targets. Continue reading “Google Sues Chinese ‘Outsider Enterprise’ Network, Says AI Makes Phishing Harder to Spot” →

New security research shows that the smart TVs in our living rooms are more than just passive viewing devices. They’ve become part of the infrastructure behind AI scraping, allowing traffic to be routed through ordinary household internet connections instead of data centers.

These findings come from a June 5 report published by Include Security, which examined Bright Data’s software development kit, or SDK. The SDK can be embedded in partner apps and, with user consent, turn smart TVs and other consumer devices into residential proxy nodes. Continue reading “Smart Televisions Loan Residential Bandwidth to AI Data-Scraping Projects” →

A new investigation from WIRED has found that Meta has installed facial recognition code for its smart glasses inside the Meta AI app. The revelation is raising alarm bells about how AI wearables could affect people who never chose to use the technology.

NameTag, as Meta calls the feature, has not yet been activated for users. The company says it hasn’t yet decided whether to launch it and promised it would take “a very thoughtful approach” before rolling out the facial recognition tech.

Still, WIRED reports that the code is already embedded in the companion app for Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. When activated, the system uses biometric data stored on the user’s phone to identify people captured by the camera. Continue reading “Meta’s Smart Glasses Show How AI Wearables Could Create a New Privacy Problem” →