Meta Ray-Bans have been under increased public scrutiny following revelations about the facial recognition work Meta has been doing on its smart glasses. Consumers are rightly wary of products that could convert wearable tech into everyday surveillance devices. In early June, an investigation by Wired exposed how Meta had quietly embedded code for dormant facial recognition software under the internal designation "NameTag." The feature, if rolled out, could have allowed Meta smart glasses to biometrically identify anyone in view -- in real time, without consent -- using a stored digital faceprint. The code, which was never made active for users, was removed a day later. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Threat Lab verified the initial findings and reported that Meta reversed course following public blowback. But the privacy nonprofit noted that Meta deleting the code "does not equal a permanent change of heart." Now, just a week after Meta removed the code, the company is facing new questions about its facial recognition software prototype. A new investigation by Wired uncovered that Meta partnered with Rank One Computing, a supplier for the US military and law enforcement agencies, for its biometric identification technology. Wired said it uncovered a software license tying the Pentagon vendor to the Meta AI app, the same one used for Meta's smart glasses products. The license agreement would authorize Meta to use Rank One's military-grade facial recognition and "liveness detection," which confirms whether someone is seeing a live person or a mask or photo. This business relationship, as Wired pointed out, "shows how thin the line has grown between the surveillance technology sold to law enforcement and the military and the consumer products sold to everyone else." According to Wired, Rank One Computing declined to comment on the findings. The Denver-based firm, which earns roughly 80% of its
Meta's Smart Glasses Are Testing <b>Facial Recognition</b> Software Used by Police and the Military
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