Meta Removes Face Recognition from Smart Glasses App After WIRED Report

Meta has scrubbed the facial recognition code from the newest update of Meta AI, the app that powers its smart glasses line. The removal comes in the wake of a WIRED investigation that uncovered the hidden feature. The company has not explained its reasoning, nor has it clarified whether the face recognition capability will ever be reinstated.

The controversial code, which WIRED spotted and detailed in a recent report, allowed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to potentially identify individuals by name through a digital overlay. This raised immediate alarms among privacy advocates, who warned that such a tool could enable unchecked surveillance in public spaces. Meta’s silence on the matter leaves users and critics alike guessing about the company’s long-term intentions.

While the company has long marketed its smart glasses as a hands-free way to capture video, take calls, and access an AI assistant, the prospect of real-time facial identification introduced a new layer of concern. The feature was not announced publicly and appeared to be in a testing phase. Its quiet removal suggests internal debate or external pressure may have influenced the decision.

For now, the app no longer contains the code that would allow the glasses to match faces against a database. But without a statement from Meta, the door remains open for the feature to return in a future update, potentially with a different name or approach. Privacy experts are watching closely, noting that facial recognition technology in consumer wearables poses unique risks that go beyond traditional smartphone cameras.

Meta has not responded to requests for comment on whether the removal is permanent or if the company plans to reintroduce the feature with additional safeguards.