Meta removes hidden 'NameTag' facial-recognition code from smart-glasses app after exposé

Following a Wired investigation, Meta stripped out facial-recognition code referred to internally as 'NameTag' from the companion app for its smart glasses, according to StartupEcosystem.ca. The code reportedly could convert photos of faces into biometric identifiers — effectively enabling identification of strangers — within an app used by more than 50 million people.

The episode is a privacy flashpoint precisely because the capability was present (if dormant or hidden) and was removed only after journalists surfaced it, rather than proactively disclosed. For a product class — always-on camera glasses — already under intense scrutiny over bystander consent and surreptitious recording, the discovery validates long-standing fears that wearable cameras plus face-matching could enable mass de-anonymization in public.

The timing is awkward, landing essentially alongside Meta's Muse Spark assistant upgrade for the same glasses; the capability story and the privacy story now travel together. Privacy advocates reacted sharply, framing it as evidence that consumer protection lags hardware deployment.

For context, regulators in the EU and several US states tightly restrict biometric processing (e.g. Illinois BIPA), and any face-matching feature would face steep legal exposure. Meta's removal limits immediate risk but raises governance questions about why the code shipped at all. Watch for regulatory inquiries and whether Meta publishes a clear policy on biometric features in wearables.