Petivity, a Purina-owned brand, has released a $150 smart pet feeder built specifically for cats that uses facial recognition and onboard cameras to identify which cat is eating and log portion sizes, frequency and timing. The system can distinguish up to five cats in one household, letting owners spot if one animal is stealing another's food, though it only dispenses dry kibble rather than wet food. Data on feeding patterns is delivered through a companion app, with the AI trained on tens of thousands of real feeding sessions and cat images.
Apple is internally testing a smart home hub codenamed J490 that would rival Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The device would feature a camera, microphones, facial recognition to personalize content per user, and an interface blending iOS, tvOS and watchOS elements, all built around the newly launched Siri AI from iOS 27. Gurman also reported Apple scrapped a special Pencil designed for the dual-screen iPhone Duo due to technical issues, opting instead to support the existing iPad Apple Pencil.
Google has started actively prompting users on its homepage to set up a video selfie as an optional sign-in method, following its initial announcement of the feature in July. The setup involves recording a short video while turning your head, which Google can use later to verify identity if you're locked out of your account. Google also says the selfie data may be used to estimate a user's age and, with opt-in consent, to improve its broader facial recognition and verification systems.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order requiring state agencies and state-funded police departments to limit how automated license plate readers, including Flock Safety systems, collect and store data. The order mandates deletion of most vehicle data within 30 days, bans selling or commercializing the data, restricts its use to criminal justice and lifesaving purposes, and forbids pairing the readers with facial recognition AI.
A content creator using Meta's AI-integrated smart glasses secretly photographed a stranger in a Walmart, ran the image through a facial recognition tool to identify him as an author, then staged an unscripted-looking encounter praising his book on camera. The clip, which went viral, exemplifies a growing genre called 'joybait'—uplifting content engineered for views that relies on deception rather than genuine spontaneity.
A 50-year-old woman named Lipps was arrested at gunpoint by US Marshals in Tennessee while babysitting four children, after facial recognition software wrongly identified her as a fugitive wanted in North Dakota. She spent six months in jail in Tennessee before the mistake was corrected, and she is now suing the city of Fargo and the detective involved for $10 million.
Cindy Cohn and Bruce Schneier trace how post-9/11 mass surveillance infrastructure, originally justified for counterterrorism, has expanded into routine domestic policing, immigration enforcement by ICE, and private security systems like facial recognition and license plate readers. They highlight that government agencies increasingly rely on private companies' data—including purchasing information directly from data brokers, as confirmed by FBI Director Kash Patel—rather than going through traditional legal channels.
A proposed class action filed by families in Illinois and California accuses Meta of harvesting biometric data from Facebook and Instagram photos to build a facial recognition system tied to its smart glasses, reportedly called 'NameTag.' The suit follows earlier reporting that Meta quietly embedded facial recognition code into the devices despite public denials that such a feature was planned. Meta has called the lawsuit meritless, saying no product has shipped and no final decision on the feature has been made.
SimpliSafe launched the Video Doorbell Series 2, a $199.99 wired camera with 2K resolution, 10x zoom, and two-way audio that pairs with its Active Guard Outdoor Protection service starting at $49.99 a month. When onboard AI and cloud-based computer vision flag suspicious activity, a human monitoring agent can view the live feed, speak through the doorbell, and try to scare off intruders or package thieves. The doorbell requires a SimpliSafe base station and keypad and works with monitored or self-monitored plans.
Plaintiffs in Illinois and California have filed a class action lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company intends to incorporate facial recognition technology into its smart glasses products. The suit centers on privacy concerns tied to biometric data collection without proper consent.
Utah mother Kalie Robins posted a video of herself and her daughter singing in a car without naming the child. Meta AI later surfaced suggested prompts asking about the 'child passenger,' and when Robins engaged, it compiled detailed information on both her daughters—including names and ages—by pulling from years of family posts shared by relatives like grandparents.
At IFA, SwitchBot introduced the Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo, a retrofit smart lock bundle for European doors priced at €339.99/£339.99. The package bundles the Keypad Vision Pro, Hub Mini Matter, and the new Lock Ultra Max, offering entry via fingerprint, passcode, NFC card, facial or palm vein recognition, plus remote, voice, smartwatch, and app widget controls. SwitchBot says the hardware fits roughly 99 percent of European lock types, including EU profile, knob, Swiss round, and UK oval cylinders, with adapters for rarer setups.
GoKawiil