Meta tested facial recognition with Pentagon supplier for smart glasses

Meta secretly worked with Rank One Computing, a Pentagon-linked biometrics firm, to build facial recognition for its smart glasses, according to Wired.techbuzz+1
Wired previously found Meta had embedded unreleased face-recognition code called "NameTag" in its AI app; Meta removed it after public backlash on June 5.wired+1
Over 75 civil liberties groups, led by the ACLU, have called on Meta to abandon facial recognition plans for its Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses.aclum

Meta quietly worked with Rank One Computing, a Denver-based facial recognition firm that supplies the Pentagon, to prototype face-recognition technology for its smart glasses, according to reporting by Wired. The company's board includes a former CIA deputy director and a former FBI science chief.techbuzz+1

A Pentagon Supplier Behind the Lens

The collaboration centered on prototyping face-recognition features for an internal Meta smart glasses application, sources told Wired. The partnership marks a deepening of Meta's ambitions for biometric capabilities on its wearable devices, even as the company has repeatedly stated it would not add facial recognition to consumer products without robust privacy safeguards.techbuzz

Rank One Computing, which trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol ROC after raising $24 million in a February 2026 initial public offering, describes itself as the only "100% made in America" multimodal biometrics provider. The company's algorithms are ranked by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and its clients span law enforcement, border control, and financial technology.washingtontechnology+2

Building Blocks Already Deployed

The Rank One revelation arrives on the heels of a separate Wired investigation published June 4 that found Meta had already embedded unreleased facial recognition code — internally called "NameTag" — into its Meta AI companion app through multiple updates this year. The feature was designed to identify individuals captured by the glasses' camera and notify wearers upon recognition. Security researchers confirmed the code was present and active, though not yet operational for consumers.thestar+2

After public outcry, Meta removed the code in a June 5 app update, stripping the face-detection models, biometric databases, and "person recognized" alert triggers. A Meta spokesperson called prior reports "sensational," insisting "nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made."eff+1

Privacy Groups Sound the Alarm

The disclosures have intensified criticism from civil liberties organizations. In April, more than 75 groups led by the ACLU warned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that equipping Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses with facial recognition is "a red line society must not cross." The Electronic Privacy Information Center has separately urged the Federal Trade Commission to block the feature.aclum+1

Meta's public position remains that it is merely "exploring" the technology. But the partnership with a defense and intelligence community supplier — combined with code already deployed to millions of phones — suggests the company's exploration is further along than its careful public statements have acknowledged.

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