Meta refuted the existence of face scanning technology in their AI smartglasses and subsequently discreetly erased the proof.

      Meta's history with face recognition continues to complicate its ambitions for AI smart glasses.

      Meta’s smart glasses app faced renewed scrutiny regarding privacy issues after WIRED discovered inactive references to face identification within the Meta AI app, which have now reportedly been removed in a subsequent update.

      The smart glasses app included traces of face-recognition technology.

      The code was linked to an internal project called "NameTag," and although WIRED indicated that the system was inactive for users, its existence hinted that Meta was exploring the possibilities of face identification within its smart glasses framework.

      WIRED reported that this dormant system seemed capable of processing facial data into on-device identifiers that could be aligned with pre-existing information. While this does not equate to the public implementation of facial recognition in Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, it highlights why the findings have garnered attention.

      The situation is particularly sensitive as this wasn't contained within a research demonstration or a developer-specific version; it emerged in the app used by everyday smart glasses users. For a camera-equipped device designed for public use, even inactive references to face recognition raise significant questions about consent and the extent of user awareness regarding behind-the-scenes testing.

      Civil rights organizations had already raised concerns.

      This isn't the first warning signal about Meta's smart glasses goals; civil rights groups had previously expressed discontent over the company's rumored plans to incorporate facial recognition into its AI glasses. Advocates pointed out that a function capable of identifying individuals through wearable cameras could pose privacy threats to bystanders who never consented to being scanned, while also extending the reach of surveillance in common public situations.

      Those concerns intensified following the removal of the code. Meta's communications chief, Andy Stone, mentioned to WIRED that the feature was part of a pilot, and the company had not finalized plans on whether to implement it. This may clarify why the feature was inactive, though it does not address why face-recognition code was found in an app designed for standard smart glasses users.

      Meta's past with this technology also complicates the situation. In 2021, Facebook announced the shutdown of its face-recognition system and the deletion of facial recognition templates for over a billion users due to privacy and regulatory worries. While the latest report does not confirm that facial recognition will be introduced to Meta glasses shortly, the appearance and subsequent disappearance of dormant face-ID code in a consumer application make it challenging to dismiss Meta’s interest as entirely theoretical.