WIRED reported on June 4 that code for an unreleased facial recognition feature called NameTag was found in Meta's AI app. The feature is designed for the company's smart glasses but remains inactive.
The code allows the glasses to capture faces and notify the wearer upon recognizing a previously seen person. It stores biometric data locally on users' phones rather than sending it to Meta servers. Meta confirmed it is exploring such features but stated that nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made. The company added that it is not building a central face database. This marks the latest sign of Meta's interest in facial recognition for smart glasses, following earlier reports from The New York Times in February. The firm previously used similar technology on Facebook until retiring it in 2021.
