One of the primary concerns surrounding “luxury surveillance” gadgets, such as smart glasses equipped with embedded video recording cameras, is that they frequently resemble ordinary eyewear, which means you could be filmed without your awareness.
However, there is now an application that can identify and notify you when someone in your vicinity is utilizing smart glasses, or potentially other always-on recording devices.
The Android application, aptly titled Nearby Glasses, continuously scans for signals emitted from Bluetooth-capable technologies, including wearable gadgets manufactured by Meta (and Oakley) and Snap.
The app emerges at a time when there is growing opposition to devices that record or listen continuously, which critics argue collect data about individuals in proximity without their consent.
Yves Jeanrenaud, the creator of the app, initially shared details about the project with 404 Media and mentioned he was partially motivated to develop Nearby Glasses after examining the independent publication’s investigations into wearable surveillance devices, including instances where Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have been utilized in immigration enforcement actions and to document and intimidate sex workers.
On the project’s page, Jeanrenaud characterized smart glasses as an “unacceptable invasion, neglectful of consent, dreadful piece of technology.”
Jeanrenaud communicated to TechCrunch through email that his motivation stemmed from “observing the vast scale and inhumane aspects of the exploitation tied to these smart glasses.” He also referenced Meta’s choice to make face recognition a standard feature in its smart glasses, “which I believe opens the floodgates to all sorts of privacy-invasive actions.”
The app functions by listening for nearby Bluetooth signals that carry a publicly assigned identifier unique to the manufacturer of the Bluetooth device. If the app identifies a Bluetooth signal from a nearby hardware product made by Meta or Snap, it will send a notification to the user. (The app also permits users to input their own specific Bluetooth identifiers, enabling the detection of a wider array of wearable surveillance technologies.)
Jeanrenaud noted that the app might occasionally lead to false alarms. This implies that the app could detect a nearby virtual reality headset produced by Meta and notify the user under the assumption that it is a pair of smart glasses created by the same manufacturer. However, virtual reality headsets are typically larger and more obvious to identify.
To test this, I downloaded the app onto an Android device and wandered through my city’s neighborhood, and to my astonishment, I did not encounter any smart glasses users and received no alerts.
Nevertheless, since the app supports it, I entered a specific Bluetooth identifier (0x004C), which enabled me to seek out nearby devices made by Apple — and my testing device was instantly inundated with alerts (as expected), likely registering every Apple-produced device within my vicinity.
This confirmed that the app operates as intended.
Jeanrenaud is in the process of adding new functionalities and mentioned that there is interest in an iPhone version of the app, but this hinges on his available time and resources.
Regarding the app, Jeanrenaud stated: “Undoubtedly, it serves as a technical solution to a societal issue (which is exacerbated by technology), and it won’t dissipate in the near future,” describing the app as a “desperate measure of resistance, with hopes that it would assist at least someone.”
Representatives for Meta and Snap did not respond to TechCrunch’s inquiries for comments.