Meta was previously reported to be exploring facial recognition for its smart glasses.
According to a new report, the code for the facial recognition feature that can run on Meta smart glasses is hidden in the company’s Meta AI app. wired. Although not currently enabled, accessible to customers or not part of a previously announced feature, the code appears to be further evidence that Meta is considering how facial recognition could work with its smart glasses, e.g. the new York Times First reported in February.
This feature is called “NameTag” in code wired Found is reportedly capable of capturing people’s faces using the company’s smart glasses and later notifying the wearer when it recognizes a previously captured face. According to a security researcher who reviewed the code, no part of NameTag is currently storing or sending biometric data to Meta’s servers. wired Found, but previous versions of the Meta AI app included interface elements for the feature, such as a “Connections” menu that suggests users “remember people you met.”
Anonymous meta source who spoke the new York Times Similarly, the company’s facial recognition device is called a “name tag”. According to a memo reviewed during reporting, Meta was interested in launching the feature during a “dynamic political environment” in the US because “the civil society groups we would expect to attack us will have their resources focused on other concerns.” While there are potential benefits to access to a pair of smart glasses that can perform facial recognition for visually impaired users, this feature also raises serious ethical concerns.
“Despite any sensational reporting, the facts are simple: We’ve discovered these types of features before, and what you’re seeing is evidence of that discovery,” Meta’s Ryan Daniels said in a statement to Engadget. “Nothing has been sent to consumers and no final decisions have been made on what to do here. If we decide to launch something, we will take a thoughtful approach and do so with full transparency. One decision we can be clear about is – we are not creating a central face database.”
Meta previously used facial recognition in Facebook as part of the platform’s photo tagging features, but discontinued this technology in 2021 due to privacy concerns. The company introduced facial recognition to Instagram and Facebook again in 2024, this time designed as a security tool to detect faces used in scam ads. Other than the existence of the code and Meta’s long-term interest in facial recognition, there’s nothing to suggest that the name tag will be part of Meta’s future pair of Ray-Ban or Oakley smart glasses. However, it’s interesting that evidence of the feature keeps emerging.
Update, June 4, 5:04pm ET: Added a statement from Meta wiredReport of.
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