Meta removes facial recognition features from its smart glasses

On June 8, 2026, Meta released an update to its Meta AI app removing facial recognition features linked to its smart glasses. The decision followed an investigation by WIRED, which had identified, in Meta AI’s source code, the foundations of a global biometric surveillance system, initially called “NameTag” and later renamed “Connections”.

These features relied on three AI models designed to capture faces, crop them and convert them into biometric signatures. The system was intended to enable real-time identification of people encountered by users. Meta executives downplayed the revelations, saying the project was experimental research, despite the advanced state of the functions identified in the source code.

Meta has already faced legal action in the United States over the unlawful collection of biometric data and the creation of facial recognition profiles without users’ explicit consent. In 2020 and 2024, as part of two class actions in Illinois and Texas, the company paid $650 million and $1.4 billion respectively, or around €560 million and €1.2 billion, to settle the cases.

An analysis of Meta AI’s source code revealed that the company was ready to deploy a large-scale biometric identification system.