Meta code hints at ‘NameTag’ facial recognition on glasses

A buried feature code inside Meta AI suggests the company explored a facial recognition function for its smart glasses—designed to recognize faces the wearer has encountered before—while Meta says nothing has shipped to consumers and no central face database i

A new trail of code is forcing Meta to answer the same question it has tried to contain for years: what happens when smart glasses can recognize faces.

Wired reported that code for an unreleased facial recognition capability is buried inside Meta’s Meta AI app. It doesn’t appear to be enabled, accessible to customers, or part of any currently offered feature. Still. the presence of the work has reignited attention on Meta’s long-running interest in how facial recognition could function alongside its smart glasses—an interest that has been discussed in earlier coverage tied to The New York Times.

The feature in the code is called “NameTag.” In Wired’s account. “NameTag” is reportedly capable of capturing people’s faces using Meta smart glasses. then notifying the wearer if it recognizes a previously captured face. A security researcher who reviewed the code told Wired that no part of NameTag is currently running or sending biometric data to Meta’s servers.

There’s more than one sign this isn’t a one-off experiment. Wired said the code includes interface elements from earlier versions of the Meta AI app, including a “Connections” menu that suggests users can “remember the people you met.”

Meta also acknowledged the thrust of the concern through a statement provided to Engadget. In that statement. Ryan Daniels said: “Regardless of any sensational reporting. the facts are simple: we’ve said before we’re exploring these types of features. and what you’re seeing is just evidence of that exploration. Nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made on what to do here, if anything. If we do decide to roll something out, we will take a thoughtful approach and do so with full transparency. One decision we can be clear about — we are not building a central face database.”.

The company’s interest. at least on the record described in earlier reporting. has been framed in terms of timing and risk. Anonymous Meta sources who spoke to The New York Times described the facial recognition tool as “Name Tag.” A memo reviewed during reporting said Meta was interested in launching the feature during a “dynamic political environment” in the US. adding that “civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.”.

None of it erases the obvious tension: facial recognition in everyday devices carries potential accessibility benefits—especially for people with visual impairments—while also raising serious ethical concerns. And the latest development doesn’t prove any feature is coming. What it does show is that the engineering work isn’t just a rumor; it’s embedded in the software.

Meta’s own history with facial recognition makes the stakes sharper. The company previously used the technology in Facebook as part of photo tagging features. but retired it in 2021 over privacy concerns. In 2024. Meta introduced facial recognition to Instagram and Facebook again. positioning it as a safety tool for detecting faces used in scam ads.

Even with “NameTag” appearing in Meta AI code. Wired’s reporting emphasizes that nothing in the material suggests the feature will automatically become part of a future pair of Meta Ray-Ban or Oakley smart glasses. Still, it is hard to ignore the pattern the company keeps running into: evidence of exploration keeps surfacing.

Update, June 4, 5:04PM ET: Added a statement from Meta on Wired’s report.

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