Several outlets report that facial recognition-related code has appeared and then been removed from Meta’s smart-glasses ecosystem, raising renewed privacy concerns. Digital Trends, Wired, CNET, and TechRadar cite a WIRED investigation saying Meta had embedded facial-recognition functionality in the Meta AI companion app used with its AI smart glasses. The alleged capability is described as “faceprint” or face-based tracking that could, if enabled, allow the glasses to identify or recognize people seen nearby. New York Post similarly reports that Meta quietly added facial-recognition groundwork, prompting criticism from privacy watchdogs.
According to Wired, the specific code identified by WIRED is no longer present in the latest version of the Meta AI app downloaded to phones used with the glasses. Wired says Meta does not explain why the code was removed or whether similar functionality will return. Digital Trends also reports that after scrutiny, the previously detected code disappeared.
Across reports, outlets emphasize that the feature was not publicly enabled, but the presence of biometric-oriented tracking code in widely distributed apps has fueled concern about potential surveillance and how such capabilities could be used in consumer wearable devices.
