The code WIRED identified is gone from the latest version of Meta AI, the companion app for the company’s smart glasses. Meta won’t say why or whether it’s coming back.

The 'disappearing into the bushes like Homer Simpson' strategy is a bold choice.

Code reviewed by WIRED uncovered an unreleased face-recognition system embedded in Meta’s smart glasses platform. It’s designed to identify people via biometric data stored on users’ phones.

WIRED reported that Meta's app for Ray-Ban smart glasses contained dormant facial recognition code, raising transparency and privacy concerns. The investigation described "NameTag," designed to detect ...

Meta was previously reported to be exploring facial recognition for its smart glasses.

Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that Meta was developing software for its smart glasses to identify people, ...

Meta has been quietly embedding facial recognition code in its smart glasses companion app since January 2026. The system, called NameTag, uses three AI models to identify people and is already on ...

Meta stripped NameTag facial recognition code from its AI app one day after WIRED exposed it on 50 million phones. Meta says no decision has been made. Meta removed nearly all traces of an unreleased ...