Meta is exploring the integration of face recognition technology into its smart glasses, partnering with Rank One Computing, a company that specializes in surveillance tools for law enforcement and military applications. This collaboration, detailed in a software license obtained by WIRED, is part of the internal development of Meta’s smart glasses app that operates its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses.
Rank One Computing, based in Denver, primarily serves government clients, with approximately 80% of its revenue coming from these partnerships. The firm’s face recognition technology is already being utilized by agencies like the US Marshals Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). They have developed advanced capabilities, reportedly able to recognize faces from distances of up to a kilometer, highlighting the potential applications in both consumer and law enforcement settings.
The licensing agreement indicates a significant step in bringing such technologies to mass-market devices. The document reveals that Meta has the rights to use Rank One’s face recognition and liveness detection systems—which verify that the person in front of a camera is real—capable of managing up to 10 million facial templates.
Recent updates to Meta’s app revealed remnants of Rank One’s technology within, although the face recognition features tied to Meta’s smart glasses were never activated for users. Shortly after WIRED exposed the existence of a separate unreleased face-recognition system within the app, known as NameTag, Meta removed these features entirely.
While Meta declined to comment on the specifics of their licensing agreement or the status of their partnership with Rank One, the relationship illustrates a blurred line between surveillance technology and consumer products. Joseph Jerome, a former policy official at Meta, noted that the advancement of military technology into consumer markets is an ongoing trend.
Rank One was established by engineers with prior experience in developing face-recognition systems and has garnered leadership from former high-ranking officials in law enforcement and intelligence. Their technology has also been implemented in schools for identity verification against sex-offender registries and within various police departments across the U.S.
Concerns regarding the fairness and accuracy of facial recognition technology persist, especially in light of disparities in error rates based on demographic factors. As states impose varying levels of regulation governing facial recognition use, there is a growing apprehension among privacy advocates on the implications of such technology transitioning into widespread consumer use.
For more details on this evolving story, you can refer to the following articles: Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones and The Pentagon Knew Enemies Could Track Troops’ Phones for Years. Now They Are.
