A Meta executive described a controversial facial recognition feature called NameTag in detail weeks after the company claimed it did not exist. In June, a Wired investigation revealed that Meta had infused unreleased facial recognition tech into its “AI Glasses,” designed to register faces “into unique biometric signatures, commonly known as faceprints, and check each one against faceprints stored on the user’s phone.” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone declared on X that Wired’s reporting was “intellectually dishonest” and “advocacy-driven click bait,” adding that “the feature doesn’t exist!” Chief technology officer Andrew “Boz” Bosworth also called the reporting “Incredibly misleading from Wired” and “Absolutely dishonest.” However, in an interview with The Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson published last week, Bosworth discussed NameTag in detail, stating it would be “encrypted locally to your device” and catalog people who smart glasses wearers “met in person, with your glasses on, who introduced themselves.” He emphasized the data would not be stored in a centralized database, saying, “This is a person you’ve met before. Here’s their name. They’re right in front of you. That’s… what we call a NameTags feature.”