Meta has deleted unreleased facial recognition code from its Meta AI app, which powers smart glasses made with Ray-Ban and Oakley. The move came one day after WIRED reported the discovery of the dormant system. The app is installed on more than 50 million phones.
WIRED first uncovered the code, internally called Name Tag, on June 4 while reviewing the app. The tool would have converted face photos into biometric identifiers stored on-device and matched against new scans. An update released on June 5 removed the code entirely. Meta vice president of communications Andy Stone told WIRED that the feature was only a pilot effort and that the company had not made a final decision on what to do. The company did not explain why the code was removed or whether it might return. WIRED confirmed the deletion through analysis of the latest app version.
