Meta rejected the use of facial recognition technology in its AI smart glasses and subsequently discreetly removed any related evidence.

      Meta's face-recognition past complicates its smart glasses ambitions

      Meta's privacy concerns regarding its smart glasses have resurfaced. After WIRED discovered inactive face-identification references within the Meta AI app, this same code has reportedly disappeared following a subsequent app update.

      The smart glasses app showed signs of face-ID experimentation

      The code appeared to be associated with an internal project known as "NameTag." WIRED noted that while the system was not active for users, its existence indicated that Meta was exploring how facial identification could function within its smart glasses framework.

      As reported by WIRED, the inactive system seemed to convert faces into on-device identifiers that could be linked with previously stored data. Although this doesn't imply a public rollout of facial recognition on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, it highlights why this discovery has raised concerns.

      The situation is more delicate since this was not hidden in a research demo or a developer-only version. It was found in the app that regular smart glasses users utilize. For a camera-equipped device intended for public use, even inactive references to face recognition provoke questions regarding consent and how much users are informed about the testing happening behind the scenes.

      Civil rights organizations were already raising concerns

      This was not the first indication of trouble regarding Meta's smart glasses aspirations. Civil rights groups had previously expressed dissatisfaction with Meta's plans to introduce facial recognition technology to its AI glasses. Advocates argued that a feature capable of identifying individuals through wearable cameras could pose privacy risks for those being scanned without consent, while also increasing surveillance in everyday public environments.

      This concern has intensified following the removal of the code. Meta communications executive Andy Stone informed WIRED that the feature was part of a pilot program, and the company had yet to decide on its implementation. This may clarify the absence of the feature but does not address why face-ID code was present in an app designed for everyday smart glasses owners.

      Meta's history with this technology adds weight to the issue. In 2021, Facebook announced it would discontinue its facial recognition system and erase recognition templates for over a billion users, citing privacy and regulatory issues. The recent findings do not confirm that facial recognition will soon be available on Meta glasses. However, the emergence of dormant face-ID code in a consumer app followed by its disappearance after being reported makes it difficult to dismiss Meta's interest as merely theoretical.