Meta removes face recognition code from smart glasses app after discovery sparks privacy uproar
11 Sources
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Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones
Meta has quietly embedded face-recognition technology for its smart glasses into an app downloaded to millions of phones, according to a WIRED analysis of the company's software. Code discreetly added to Meta's AI app over multiple updates this year shows that the feature, internally called
[2]
Meta quietly removes face-recognition code from its smart glasses app - Engadget
The 'disappearing into the bushes like Homer Simpson' strategy is a bold choice. Only a day after a dormant bit of code that seemed to be a facial recognition algorithm was discovered in a companion app for its smart glasses, Meta released an update which removed that code, Wired reported. The
[3]
Meta Removes Face-Recognition System From Its Smart Glasses, Is Mad About it
Last week, Wired reported that Meta quietly pushed code for a yet-to-be-released face-recognition system supposedly designed for the company's smart glasses. Now the publication reports that Meta has quietly removed that system from its codebase. The only part that hasn't been quiet is Meta's very
[4]
Meta's smart glasses face-recognition plans may be further along than you realize
Meta says it is still only exploring the technology, but the new report says core components were added as early as January. Ray-Ban Meta glasses are already facing fresh privacy questions after a report highlighted how modders are physically disabling the recording LED for covert filming. That's
[5]
Meta Ray-Ban glasses may soon identify faces using AI
A new report indicates the Meta Ray-Ban companion app is capable of face recognition and is designed to identify users from images and videos taken on its paired smart glasses. The report comes courtesy of WIRED, which did a deep dive into the Meta AI app to uncover a buried, unreleased AI feature
[6]
Meta quietly added facial recognition code for smart glasses to its app
Meta has quietly added facial recognition tech for its smart glasses to its Meta AI app. A Wired investigation discovered that the code has been added to Meta's AI app over "multiple updates this year." The feature is internally called NameTag, and it can reportedly identity people captured by the
[7]
Meta denied face scanning tech on AI smartglasses, and then silently wiped the evidence
Meta's face-recognition history returns to haunt its AI smart glasses ambitions Meta's smart glasses privacy problem has taken another turn. After WIRED found inactive face-identification references inside the Meta AI app, the same code has now reportedly vanished in a follow-up app
[8]
Meta accused of preparing facial recognition features for AI smart glasses
Meta's wearable AI ambitions spark privacy concerns after facial recognition report Meta is facing renewed scrutiny after a report revealed that the company quietly embedded face-recognition technology into software linked to its smart glasses ecosystem, potentially laying the groundwork for a
[9]
Meta's Leaked Wearable Roadmap Reveals Controversial Facial Recognition Plans
Meta's recently leaked roadmap has revealed a range of upcoming wearable devices, including smart glasses that integrate advanced AI and sensor technologies. Among the most talked-about features is the potential inclusion of facial recognition technology, codenamed "Name Tag," which could identify
[10]
Researcher Finds Face Recognition in Meta AI Glasses
Meta has fully developed a working facial recognition pipeline inside its Ray-Ban smart glasses companion app that can trigger a notification naming an identified person when a known face is detected through the glasses' AI-powered cameras, according to code inspection conducted by Buchodi. Buchodi
[11]
Meta's Smart Glasses Get Smarter with Facial Recognition for Everyday Encounters
Meta is reportedly testing facial recognition for its smart glasses. The feature could help users identify people around them, but it is already raising concerns about privacy and consent. Meta is working on another big upgrade for its smart glasses. Recent reports say the company is testing
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Meta embedded facial recognition technology into its AI companion app for smart glasses, downloaded over 50 million times, before quietly removing it after being exposed. The NameTag feature would have identified people through the glasses' camera and converted faces into biometric data. This comes despite Meta's 2021 promise to sunset face recognition and $2 billion in privacy settlements.
Meta Embeds Face Recognition Code in Smart Glasses App
Meta quietly integrated face recognition technology into its AI companion app for Meta smart glasses, according to a WIRED investigation published on June 4
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. The code, internally called NameTag, was discovered embedded in the Meta AI companion app, which has been downloaded over 50 million times and is essential for operating key features of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses and Oakley models1
. Just one day after the report surfaced, Meta removed the code entirely in an update released on June 52
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Source: Gizmodo
The NameTag feature was designed to identify people captured by the glasses' camera and alert wearers when it recognized someone. Three AI models powering the facial recognition system had already been deployed from Meta's servers to customers' phones
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. One model detects faces, another crops them, and a third encodes them into biometric data that could be checked against faceprints stored on-device4
. Core components of the system had been integrated into software distributed to millions of people as early as January1
.Privacy Concerns Mount Over Biometric Data Conversion
The discovery raises significant privacy concerns, particularly given Meta's troubled history with facial recognition. The company paid $650 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by Illinois users and agreed to a separate $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in 2024 over allegations it unlawfully collected biometric data
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. Meta had announced in 2021 that it would delete more than a billion faceprints belonging to Facebook users and sunset its photo-tagging system1
.If activated, NameTag would have transformed faces into unique biometric identifiers, commonly known as faceprints, and checked each one against faceprints stored on the user's phone through a database configured to receive updates from Meta
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. Recognized faces would trigger notifications, while unrecognized faces would be cropped, indexed, and saved to a folder marked "pending"1
. A May version of the app rebranded the feature as "Connections," inviting users to "remember the people you met"1
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Source: Wired
Meta's Response and Executive Pushback
Meta Vice President of Communications Andy Stone defended the company, calling WIRED's reporting "intellectually dishonest" and "pure advocacy-driven click bait" for not emphasizing earlier that the feature was not enabled
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. Chief Technology Officer Andy Bosworth also criticized the reporting as "incredibly misleading" and "absolutely dishonest"3
. However, neither executive disputed the factual accuracy of the reporting.Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels told WIRED that the findings are "merely evidence" that Meta is exploring these types of features, stating that "nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made"
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. Stone added that if Meta decides to roll something out, it will do so with "full transparency" and emphasized the company is "not building a central face database"5
.Related Stories
Testing Confirms Functional Recognition Pipeline
Independent security researchers verified WIRED's findings. Cooper Quintin from the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Threat Lab stated, "The feature is not yet exposed to consumers but seems nearly ready to go. Despite the billions of reasons not to, Meta seems to have created the capacity to turn their customers into a distributed surveillance machine"
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. Security researcher Buchodi conducted additional tests and successfully triggered the recognition system using a faceprint of deceased French philosopher Michel Foucault, producing a "Person recognized" notification1
.Broader Implications for Wearable Technology
The incident highlights mounting opposition to consumer-level face recognition technology. In April, more than 70 advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Privacy Information Center demanded Meta scrap NameTag, warning it would enable stalkers and abusers to silently identify strangers in public
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. Internal Meta documents published by The New York Times in February showed the company planned to roll out the feature during a "dynamic political environment" when critics would be preoccupied1
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Source: Mashable
Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses already face scrutiny over covert filming capabilities, with reports of modders physically disabling the recording LED indicator
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. A class action lawsuit was filed in March after a Swedish newspaper investigation revealed Kenyan workers were reviewing footage from Meta smart glasses that appeared to include sexual intimacy and bathroom use, seemingly recorded without owners' knowledge2
. The swift removal of the code and subsequent PR statements suggest Meta recognizes the sensitive nature of integrating such invasive features into wearable devices with on-device storage of biometric identifiers.References
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