This App Will Detect People Wearing Smart Glasses Near You.
Smart glasses are no longer just a Hollywood fantasy: you can buy them right now. Devices like the Ray-Ban Metas feature speakers, a microphone, built-in cameras, and smartphone connectivity—all in a package that basically looks like regular glasses. This is great for enthusiasts who want to use their smartphone hands-free while out and about, but not so great for those who don’t like the idea of invisible cameras everywhere .
These privacy concerns have two sides. One is personal . Many of us don’t want people shoving their smartphone cameras in our faces when we’re out and about, but at least then we’ll know we’re being recorded. These built-in cameras are hard to spot unless you know what you’re looking for, which means it feels like you’re being constantly watched by anyone wearing glasses. On the other hand, there’s a more serious privacy concern that’s inherent to large companies like Meta. Just last week, we learned that the company plans to integrate facial recognition technology into its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses, with a feature called “Name Tag,” which will allow the wearer to receive information about people they encounter using Meta’s artificial intelligence. Taken together, smart glasses pose an unprecedented risk to the privacy and security of those of us living our lives when both our neighbors and law enforcement have access to spy on us without our knowledge.
Of course, what can you do? If these glasses are legal and relatively unnoticeable, how can you protect yourself from the average guy in Ray-Ban Metas? By the time you get close enough to determine whether they’re wearing smart glasses, you’ll already be in the camera’s field of view.
The Glasses Nearby feature will notify you if someone in your area is wearing smart glasses.
Introducing “Nearby Glasses,” a new app that reveals information about smartglasses users near you. As reported by 404 Media , the app was developed by Yves Jeanrenaud and scans the “distinctive Bluetooth signatures” of smartglasses (also known as “advertising frames”) to identify them in the immediate vicinity. Jeanrenaud used a directory of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) manufacturers to create a list of smartglasses the app can scan, including devices from Meta, Luxottica Group SpA, and Snap. If the app detects such a device, it sends you a push notification.
Currently, the app can’t distinguish between smart glasses and mixed reality headsets. While you may receive a notification about nearby smart glasses, this is because the app has detected Bluetooth signals from the Meta Quest headset. However, they are much easier to spot than smart glasses and are less likely to be worn discreetly in public.
The Nearby Glasses app is available today for Android in both the Play Store and Github . Jeanrenaud says an iOS version is “in development.”