Meta Licensed Rank One Face Recognition for 50 Million-Download Glasses App, Then Deleted It
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jun 15
Meta Licensed Rank One Face Recognition for 50 Million-Download Glasses App, Then Deleted It
1 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jun 15
Summary
June 5, Meta removed dormant face-recognition code from its Meta AI app a day after WIRED disclosed the unreleased NameTag system embedded in software tied to its smart glasses.
A software license reviewed by WIRED shows Meta had also obtained Rank One Computing’s face recognition and liveness detection for a test version of the app, marking the first known business link between the companies.
Code remnants for Rank One’s integration still shipped this month in an inactive app build downloaded to more than 50 million phones, though Meta said none of the face-recognition systems were ever available to users.
Rank One draws about 80% of revenue from government clients and sells biometric tools to the US Marshals, NCIS and police departments, underscoring how surveillance technology is crossing into consumer devices.
The episode adds to scrutiny of consumer face recognition in the US, where rules remain patchy and testing has found demographic disparities in false matches.
When military AI powers consumer gadgets, where does corporate responsibility end and government-style surveillance begin?
As surveillance tech profits fall from government deals, is the consumer market their next big, unregulated target?
Over 70 Advocacy Groups Demand Meta Drop "NameTag" After Hidden Facial Recognition Found in Smart Glasses: Privacy, Legal, and Regulatory Fallout
Overview
In June 2026, WIRED revealed that Meta had quietly embedded dormant face-recognition technology, called 'Name Tag,' into its Ray-Ban smart glasses systems. This feature was designed to help users identify people they had met before, but the public quickly labeled it as creepy and invasive. Most people preferred simply admitting they forgot a name rather than being identified by a camera. The discovery sparked immediate backlash, with over 70 advocacy groups urging Meta to drop the technology due to serious privacy risks. In response to this strong public and organizational pressure, Meta rapidly removed the facial recognition code from its app.