Meta removes facial recognition code from Ray-Ban smart glasses after privacy outcry

Meta has removed facial recognition code from the app powering its Ray-Ban smart glasses following a wave of backlash from privacy advocates. The move comes after the discovery of a hidden feature that could have enabled real-time person identification.

The controversy began when code for a feature internally called "NameTag" was discovered within the Meta AI app. In response, more than 70 privacy advocacy organizations, including the ACLU and EPIC, issued an open letter demanding that Meta cancel the technology entirely. Meta subsequently pulled the code from the application following the public outcry and investigative reporting by WIRED.

The shift toward biometric surveillance

Meta has been aggressively integrating artificial intelligence into its wearable hardware, specifically the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. While the current devices already support multimodal AI—allowing the glasses to see and describe the surrounding environment—the addition of facial recognition would have marked a significant escalation in capability. This transition moves the device's utility from simple object recognition to the active tracking of individual identities in public spaces.

The erosion of public anonymity

This incident underscores the growing tension between the utility of AI and the fundamental right to privacy. The ability to identify strangers in real-time via wearable glasses could facilitate widespread "doxing" and effectively eliminate anonymity in the public sphere. By integrating biometric identification into a consumer product, the potential for unauthorized surveillance increases, turning every wearer into a potential data collection point for identity tracking.

A check on AI deployment

The swift removal of the "NameTag" code suggests that institutional and public pressure remains one of the few effective checks on Meta's deployment of high-risk biometric features. However, the incident has raised questions about the company's development process. Trust built on a "we'll fix it once caught" mentality is structurally weaker than trust built on rules that exist before a feature is shipped.

Industry observers will now be watching to see if Meta implements more transparent guardrails for its wearable AI or if similar biometric capabilities will reappear under different names in future updates. For now, the removal of the code serves as a victory for the coalition of privacy groups seeking to limit the reach of wearable surveillance.