Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones

Key Points:

• Meta has secretly integrated a face-recognition feature called "NameTag" into its AI companion app for smart glasses, which has been downloaded over 50 million times, enabling the glasses to identify people and notify the wearer when recognized.
• The technology converts faces captured by the glasses into biometric faceprints stored on users' phones and can update its recognition database from Meta's servers, despite Meta publicly stating in April that it was still "thinking through" the use of face recognition.
• NameTag revives Meta's controversial face-recognition system, which was shut down in 2021 after privacy concerns and legal settlements, including a $650 million class-action settlement in Illinois and a $1.4 billion settlement in Texas over biometric data collection.
• Privacy advocates warn that embedding such technology in consumer wearables could normalize invasive surveillance and pose risks to individuals, including potential misuse by stalkers or authorities, while Meta claims no final decision has been made and insists it is not building a central face database.
• Independent security researchers confirmed the presence and functionality of NameTag's AI models on users' phones, highlighting that the feature is nearly ready for activation despite ongoing public debate and opposition from over 70 advocacy groups.