Meta Strips Face-Recognition Code From Smart Glasses App Following WIRED Investigation
Privacy advocates cite the incident as evidence of the urgent need for stronger consumer data protection laws, pointing to recent legislative moves in Massachusetts.
Meta has removed the code for its unreleased 'NameTag' face-recognition system from the latest version of its Meta AI companion app for smart glasses. The action follows a WIRED report revealing that the software, designed to convert faces into biometric signatures, had been embedded in the app installed on over 50 million devices. Meta executives previously denied the feature's existence, but the new update strips out the recognition libraries and storage folders for unidentified faces.
The removal comes one day after WIRED revealed that Meta had quietly integrated substantial portions of the NameTag system into the Meta AI app. Analysis of the latest version’s code confirms the removal of unactivated software components that powered the system. The version published on the day of WIRED’s report included several code libraries explicitly named for face recognition, whereas Friday’s release includes none of them. The update also removes the “Person recognized” alert the app would have shown if someone were identified.
NameTag was first reported by The New York Times in February, citing internal Meta documents. A memo reportedly described releasing the feature during a “dynamic political environment” when privacy advocates would be distracted. WIRED previously reported in January that much of NameTag’s machinery was already built into the Meta AI app, even as Meta publicly stated it had made no final decision about face recognition. The system was designed to compare faces captured by the glasses against a database of faceprints stored on the user's device.
Meta’s vice president of communications, Andy Stone, and chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, had previously dismissed the findings as misleading and dishonest. Stone stated that the feature did not exist, while Bosworth called the reporting absolutely dishonest. Meta declined to answer questions before publishing on Thursday, including whether it had created the database of face profiles or how long the app retains photographs of unrecognized people. Meta did not immediately respond to questions about why the code was removed or whether it still intends to pursue NameTag.
A few fragments of the NameTag system remain in the latest version, including an internal debug menu label and a dormant link meant to open a recognized person’s profile. Privacy advocates argue the incident highlights the need for stronger consumer data protection laws. Kade Crockford of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts pointed to the incident as evidence that consumer privacy needs stronger legal protection. Crockford noted that the Massachusetts House of Representatives last week unanimously passed a consumer privacy bill, which advocates cite as a model for other states.
