Meta's Smart Glasses Hide Secret Face Recognition

Meta has embedded face-recognition technology, internally codenamed 'NameTag,' into its AI companion app, which has been downloaded over 50 million times. This feature, designed to identify individuals captured by smart glasses and notify the wearer, has core components present on users' phones since at least January 2026. This development occurred despite Meta's public statements in April 2026 suggesting a cautious approach to facial recognition.

The 'NameTag' feature aims to convert faces into biometric signatures, or faceprints, and compare them against a database on the user's device. Although not yet enabled, the app includes elements like 'Connections,' which suggests remembering people met. Security researchers have confirmed that essential components for face detection, cropping, and encoding are present, with one researcher noting the system appears "nearly ready to go."

This marks a potential revival of technology Meta officially sunsetted in 2021 following significant privacy controversies and substantial legal settlements, including a $650 million class-action lawsuit in Illinois and a $1.4 billion settlement in Texas. Privacy advocates express strong opposition, arguing that consumer-level face recognition could be misused by various parties and normalize pervasive surveillance.

Meta claims these features are part of an exploration process and that no final decisions have been made. A spokesperson stated that the company is not building a central face database and would proceed with transparency if any feature is eventually rolled out. However, internal documents reportedly suggested a planned 2025 debut for the feature, which did not materialize. The company previously faced scrutiny and penalties, including a $5 billion settlement with the FTC and DOJ in 2019.