Leaked Code Reveals Meta is Preparing Facial Recognition Tools for Smart Glasses
A WIRED investigation revealed that Meta quietly embedded an unreleased facial recognition system called "NameTag" into its AI companion app, which has been downloaded over 50 million times and serves as the software backbone for its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. The system reportedly uses three AI models to detect faces, crop them, and convert them into biometric signatures that can be matched against databases stored on a user's phone. Meta confirmed the technology exists but stated it remains exploratory, that no consumer-facing feature has launched, and that the company is not building a central facial recognition database. The revelation is particularly sensitive given that Meta shut down Facebook's facial recognition system in 2021 and deleted over a billion faceprints following regulatory pressure.