Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Tied to Military-Grade Facial Recognition Firm

Meta is facing fresh scrutiny after a Wired investigation revealed that its smart glasses software is linked to a company that supplies facial recognition technology to the U.S. military and police. The revelation comes just days after Meta quietly removed dormant code for a facial recognition feature called “NameTag” from its Ray-Ban smart glasses—code that could have let the glasses identify strangers in real time without their knowledge.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation confirmed the code’s removal but warned it “does not equal a permanent change of heart.” Now, Wired reports that Meta partnered with Rank One Computing, a Denver-based firm that earns roughly 80% of its revenue from government clients. A software license ties Rank One’s military-grade facial recognition and “liveness detection”—which checks if a person is real or a mask—to Meta’s AI app, the same app powering the smart glasses.

Rank One declined to comment. Meta told CNET it has made no final decisions on facial recognition for its glasses but would not confirm whether it is licensing Rank One’s engine. In a statement, Meta said: “Nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made… If we do decide to roll something out, we will take a thoughtful approach and do so with full transparency.”

Privacy advocates point to Meta’s history: In 2021, it shut down its Facebook facial recognition system after 600 million users had already opted in. Texas later won a $1.4 billion settlement over Meta’s collection of biometric data. The New York Times reported this year that Meta internally discussed releasing the feature when political turmoil would distract critics.

Critics warn that such technology—especially when linked to police and military suppliers—threatens anonymity and disproportionately harms marginalized groups, who are more likely to be misidentified or tracked without consent.