Meta quietly added facial recognition to smart glasses, sparking major privacy concerns: report
Meta quietly embedded facial recognition technology called 'NameTag' into its AI companion app for smart glasses, raising privacy concerns as it could identify and store faceprints from users’ cameras. The feature, which has not been activated, is integrated into an app downloaded over 50 million times and could notify wearers when recognizing faces, despite Meta’s past settlements over biometric data collection and public assurances of transparency.
Meta has quietly integrated facial recognition technology into its smart glasses software, sparking privacy alarms. The feature, internally named 'NameTag,' is embedded in the company’s AI companion app, which has been downloaded over 50 million times. According to *Wired*, the app includes code that could identify faces captured by the glasses’ camera and generate biometric signatures, or 'faceprints,' stored on users’ phones. The functionality has not yet been activated, but Meta’s software updates this year added key components of the system. If enabled, the glasses would compare captured faces against stored faceprints and send notifications upon recognition. New faces encountered would also be indexed and saved, raising concerns about unchecked data collection. Meta’s move revives technology it previously abandoned in 2021, when it deleted over a billion faceprints from Facebook users amid backlash. The company settled a $650 million class-action lawsuit in Illinois and a $1.4 billion agreement with Texas over illegal biometric data collection. Despite these settlements, Meta has continued exploring facial recognition, with Vice President of Communications Andy Stone dismissing reports as 'intellectually dishonest' while acknowledging no final decision has been made. Privacy advocates condemned the development, warning of Meta’s potential to enable 24/7 surveillance. The Tech Oversight Project’s Sacha Haworth called the company’s actions 'a future where they control surveillance,' while Fairplay’s Josh Golin questioned Meta’s ability to protect user data responsibly. Meta has stated it would not build a central face database but has not ruled out future rollouts, emphasizing a 'thoughtful approach' if the feature proceeds.
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