Reports suggest Meta was working on another facial recognition feature that was quietly pushed out to millions of users before being just as quietly deleted
Meta quietly embedded facial recognition technology into its smart glasses app and deployed it to millions of users before removing the code following media discovery. Wired reported finding code suggesting facial recognition functionality was present within the application. After Wired published its initial story, Meta removed the code from the app, though the company made no public announcement regarding the feature’s presence or removal.
The incident highlights significant privacy concerns surrounding surveillance capabilities in wearable technology. Smart glasses equipped with facial recognition can identify individuals at scale without explicit consent, creating substantial privacy implications. The fact that Meta deployed this feature without transparent user notification and only removed it after media coverage underscores questions about the company’s approach to privacy and facial recognition in consumer products.
The episode reflects broader tensions between technology companies’ development of surveillance-capable hardware and public concern about privacy rights. As smart glasses become increasingly prevalent, the ethics of embedding facial recognition technology—and the necessity of explicit user consent before deploying such features—remains a critical concern for both privacy advocates and policymakers.